Radio stations are abbreviated as follows:
RNU - Radio National Unity, Omdurman; RFI - Radio France Internationale, Paris; RH - Radio Hargeisa, Voice of Republic of Somaliland; RMO - Radio Mogadishu; RMV - Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Great Somali People; RSR - Republic of Sudan Radio, Omdurman; VBME - Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, Asmara; VOA - Voice of America; VOE - Voice of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa; VOEE - Voice of Ethiopia External Service, Addis Ababa; VOEN - Voice of Ethiopia National Service, Addis Ababa.
** PUBLISHER INFORMATION **
The Horn of Africa Bulletin is published bimonthly by the LIFE & PEACE INSTITUTE, S-751 70 Uppsala, Sweden Tel: (+46) 18-16 95 00; Fax: (+46) 18-69 30 59 Email: enelson@nn.apc.org Publisher: Sture Normark Editor: Susanne Thurfjell Lunden Assistant Editor: Everett NelsonAlthough the electronic Horn of Africa Bulletin is free of charge, donations are greatly appreciated.
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PLEASE NOTE: This information board for African Studies was initiated in March, 1993. It is a work in progress. The African Studies Program at U. Penn hopes that this will be an interactive project among Penn Africanists and other African Studies information networks. For suggestions, comments and updates on the African Studies materials included in PennInfo, please contact me at the above address. 8/94 ====================================================================== DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in the articles posted here in no way reflect the views or policies of either the University of Pennsylvania, or the African Studies Program. ====================================================================== Ali B. Dinar Outreach Coordinator, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6398 African Studies Program Phone: (215) 898-6971 University of Pennsylvania Fax: (215) 898-7462 418 University Museum E-mail aadinar@mail.sas.upenn.edu
** E D I T O R I A L **
"PEACE FROM WITHIN"
Sudan is a country full of potential, rich in resources and manpower, yet its people are starving and bleeding to death as its power-hungry leaders refuse to talk about peace except on their own terms, clinging to the notion that the armed struggle will bring a solution to the conflict.
Having returned home to Khartoum from Nairobi after consulting with President arap Moi and the presidents of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Uganda on the continuation of the IGADD peace talks, Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al Bashir, has vowed to keep up the struggle for peace. However, Bashir's way to peace is not entirely peaceful.
On the one hand, Bashir will continue to send delegations to the IGADD talks, although the September meeting was preceded by frantic manoeuvering, whereby the government of Sudan tried to split the IGADD initiative by wooing Kenya into taking on a new and more exclusive role as host to the peace talks. Finally, however, the Sudan government sent a delegation to the September talks--a new, hardline delegation under Ghazi Salah el Din, one of the hawks in the NIF hierarchy.
On the other hand, Bashir has promised to "liberate" the south through military means, or to use another favorite government phrase, to "bring peace from within". Shortly after the talks, news is reaching us that Mundri has been bombed from the air. Only the government has the capacity for aerial bombardment.
It seems clear that the military option is the first choice of the government, and thus far, they have been fairly successful. They have been able to keep up the pressure on the SPLA during the rainy season, and as the dry season is here, we can expect that the bombing of Mundri is just the start of another major government offensive. All the garrison towns in the south have received reinforcements.
The government also knows how to use and exacerbate the split within the SPLA. By arming some of the splinter-groups they have effectively kept up the fight against the two major SPLA factions, without even having to be present. But the government must be aware that to gain a decisive victory over a guerilla movement is not an easy task. Even if the government succeeds in taking all the main towns in the south, the war will be far from over. It can go on for decades in the bush of southern Sudan.
The two main SPLA factions, for their part, have managed to keep on speaking terms as they are bracing themselves to counter the expected offensive from the government. It is rumored that they have received fresh arms supplies, and apparently they are not without military strength. Despite repeated reports that government troops are poised to take Nimule, as HAB goes to press, Nimule remains in the hands of the SPLA.
However, there has also been factional fighting in the south by the splinter groups under William Nyon Bani, Kerubino Kuanyin Bol and other militia groups which the government is said to supply with arms. The factional fighting in the south has for years been targeting the civilian population. It has caused great terror and displaced tens of thousands who flee the fighting. What began as a liberation struggle has in many cases deteriorated into a predatory war on the civilian population, causing the ethnic groups to turn on each other.
In this bleak picture there are some encouraging signs emerging from the people in the south. In Upper Nile there has been a reconciliation meeting between two Nuer groups who have earlier been involved in vicious fighting. It is an attempt at seeking to reconcile the groups through their traditional chiefs, local leaders and the church, to revive the old ways of dealing with conflict in order to heal the rifts between the groups--rifts that have been exploited and exacerbated by ruthless military leaders. It is a spontaneous effort which has grown out of a desperate need for peace and an insight that this peace will not come unless all people are involved in working for it. Peace is not an issue that can be handed over to the professional military. It is a concern of all Sudanese and it must involve groups of people from all levels of society.
Can this traditional way of reconciliation serve as an inspiration and a model for other fighting groups as well? Can this work for healing and peace be recognized and supported as a serious complement to the official peace talks?
The Sudanese churches are also coming forward in a new and clearer way, proclaiming the age-old Christian message of peace and reconciliation, not only between God and mankind, but also between all human beings. Will the international community see the importance of their work and support them?
Women are making their voices heard as well. There is a new and bolder awareness among them that they have a responsibility--and indeed a right--to join the good forces working for peace. They are organizing themselves, and by working together on humanitarian issues they have shown in their own lives that they can bridge the gap between different ethnic, political and religious origins. As they are coming forward on the political arena they deserve to be taken seriously.
Indeed, this kind of work for peace and reconciliation could be properly labelled "peace from within".
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** D J I B O U T I **
ACRONYMS: ADDHL - Djibouti Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Liberties DRA - Djibouti Relief Association FDF - Front of Democratic Forces FRUD - Front for the Restauration of Unity and Democracy FNS - Force Nationale de Securite MND - Mouvement National Djiboutien MSR - Mouvement pour le Salut et la Reconstruction MUD - Movement pour l'Unite de la Democratie PCRD - Parti Centriste et des Reformes Democratiques PND - Parti National Democratique PRD - Parti du Renouveau Democratique RPP - Rassemblement Populaire pour le Progres UDD - Union des Democrates Djiboutiens UDSJ - Union for Democracy and Social Justice UMD - Union des Movements Democratiques ** THE GOVERNMENT ** TWO MINISTERS DISMISSED(Reuter 16 Oct 94) DJIBOUTI - Djibouti's Minister of Youth, Sports and Cultural Affairs, Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad, and the Minister of Labour and Training, Ithirow Hamadou, were dismissed on Sunday, an official decree said.
President Hassan Gouled Aptidon's decree said they had been dismissed for behaviour incompatible with their responsibilities as members of the government. It gave no further explanation and made no mention of their replacements.
Both ministers belong to the Afar ethnic group which supports rebels who have been fighting in northern Djibouti for several years. They were appointed when the government was formed after elections in February.
** PEACE TALKS AND DIVIDED OPPOSITION **
PEACE TALKS PRESS ON
(ION 17 Sep 94, p.3)
Secret peace talks between delegations of the Djibouti government and
the opposition movement Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite et de la
Democratie at meetings of the joint commissions in recent weeks appear
to have made some progress. The meetings were held on Djibouti
territory in the Hanle Plain and at Adailou, with the most recent one
being held last week at Ribta, 15 km from Tadjourah in the northern
part of the country. Discussions centered around a number of subjects
such as the quotas of FRUD members integrated into the government
armed forces, the powers to be given local administrative bodies (in
the perspective of administrative and economic decentralization), and
"common management" of a return to peaceful conditions in Djibouti.
The last point is a sticky one because it covers the political reforms
demanded by FRUD, such as strengthening the authority of the prime
minister and parliament, revising electoral lists, and so on. The
government delegation has been led by prime minister Barkat Gourat
Hamadou and interior and decentralization minister Idriss Harbi Farah.
But the Ribta meeting saw Ismael Omar Guelleh, chef de cabinet to head
of state Hassan Gouled Aptidon, present in the corridors outside the
conference and sources say he may even have attended the closing
meeting...
A REFUSAL FRONT IN PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
(ION 24 Sep 94, p.3)
The Front Uni de l'Opposition Djiboutienne (FUOD) headed by Mohamed
Ahmed Issa (Cheiko) announced on September 21 that second
vice-president Galal Abdourahmen Ahmed, who is also president of the
Movement pour le Salut et la Reconstruction (MSR), had been dismissed.
Other FUOD officials were confirmed in their posts: Mahdi Ibrahim
Ahmed (first vice-president), Abdoulkader Djama Rayaleh (spokesman),
Mohamed Houssein Hassan (secretary general), and Kamil Ali Mohamed
(deputy secretary general and publisher of the newspaper Al Wahdaa.
The dismissal of Galal Abdourahman Ahmed was justified, the Front
said, by contacts he had with "the new directorate of Front pour la
Restauration de l'Unite et de la Democratie" (FRUD headed by Ougoureh
Kifleh Ahmed) and by a meeting he is believed to have had with
Djibouti's prime minister, Barkat Gourad Amadou. FUOD leaders are
refusing to have anything to do with the "secret negotiations"
currently pursued by the Djibouti government and FRUD. The FUOD
officials claim that they recognize only "the legitimate FRUD"
symbolized in their eyes by the group headed by the movement's former
president, Ahmed Dini, who also opposes the negotiations.
[ION editorial comment:] This group of refusniks to the negotiations was denounced as "tired old embittered oppositionists" in a September 15 editorial in the government weekly La Nation, which on the other hand praised the "political maturity" of FRUD leaders who are negotiating with the government. The same editorial admitted the existence of a group of politicians inside the government majority who "do not believe in or do not wish to see a peace agreement" since they "wish to seize the monopoly of this peace movement and are even ready to reject it by pretending that they were not its originators"... The newspaper's allegations therefore target members of the Djibouti government who like the minister of justice Moumin Bahdon Farah and of industry Ali Mahamade Houmed, have been excluded from current peace discussions even though they had all pleaded in favor of moderation towards rebel members of FRUD at a time when the government majority wished only to fight.
DINI'S FACTION REAFFIRMS PURSUIT OF ARMED STRUGGLE
(Reuter 30 Sep 94)
PARIS - An outlawed Djibouti opposition group reaffirmed on Friday its
commitment to armed struggle to achieve the overthrow of the Djibouti
government.
The Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) made the announcement in a statement received in the French capital at the close of a six-day congress in a northern area of the tiny Red Sea republic.
"Those attending the congress unanimously reaffirmed their determination to pursue armed struggle until their political goals are satisfied," the statement said.
The statement signed by FRUD vice president Mohamed Adoyta Youssouf, said the group also chose a new executive committee led by Ahmed Dini Ahmed, a former Djibouti prime minister.
It also appealed to the international community to pressure Djibouti to begin talks aimed at a political settlement.
The group said it convened the new congress to clarify the political situation in the east African nation.
FRUD was apparently referring to reconciliation talks begun last summer by Djibouti President Hassan Gouled Aptidon with a FRUD breakaway faction...
FRUD has denounced the talks as an attempt "to deceive national and international opinion" and has said it backs only the "legal" FRUD leadership headed by Ahmed Dini...
NEW FRUD EXECUTIVE BODY SUSPENDS OLD LEADERSHIP
(SWB 30 Sep 94 [AFP in French, 5 Oct 94])
Jibuti: Yesterday, the National Congress of the Afar rebel movement,
the Front for the Restoration of Unity and Democracy [FRUD], barred
former FRUD Chairman Ahmad Dini Ahmad and former FRUD Deputy Chairman
Muhammad Adoyta from exercising "any activity or responsibility"
within the movement.
In a communique copied to AFP and signed by FRUD Chairman Ali Mohamed Daoud [name and position as received], the FRUD National Congress stated that the two former executives were no longer qualified "to speak on behalf of the FRUD or to commit it in any manner". This "temporary disciplinary action" is expected to be formally endorsed at a forthcoming FRUD congress, "the only organ competent to decide the dismissal of an executive member", the communique added...
PRD SEES THINGS DARKLY
(ION 15 Oct 94, p.3)
The second congress of Parti du Renouveau Democratique (PRD,
opposition), due to have been held at Obock in the northern part of
the country on September 29 and 30, was finally postponed. PRD
official decided they would celebrate only the second anniversary of
the party's founding and planned it for October 7 at the Djibouti
Sheraton. PRD president (and ex-minister) Mohamed Djama Elabe called
for regular meetings with other opposition movements in order to "work
out a common program of Djibouti's opposition". He said that although
the guns had fallen silent in recent months, "peace is getting bogged
down" and he presented three proposals from his party.
First, PRD wants to see the "signature of an immediate and definitive cease-fire" between the belligerents (Djibouti government and Afar rebels in Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite et de la Democratie). Second, PRD is calling for concrete administrative and political decentralization "which extends into the districts and constituencies and even beyond". Finally, the party considers that "nothing positive has appeared so far" during the nine months of negotiations between the government and one faction of FRUD. Elabe indicated that he feared a possible resumption of armed fighting and he called for "a real dialogue" between the government and the country's established opposition.
** FOREIGN RELATIONS **
BORDER POSTS REOPEN
(ION 3 Oct 94, p.3)
Djibouti's border posts at Loyada (on its frontier with Somaliland)
and Galafi (on the western frontier with Ethiopia) have been reopened.
The Loyada post was closed by the Djibouti authorities for four months
following a number of frontier incidents and during that period, food
supplies were shuttled into Somaliland through the ports of Djibouti
and Berbera.
Reopening the Galafi post is directly linked with a calm in the armed conflict between the Djibouti government and members of Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite et de la Democratie (FRUD), since political negotiations are presently going on. The post on the Ethiopian frontier had been closed for three years because of Djibouti's civil war. However, reopening it sparks off another "war", that of the khat imported from Ethiopia for Djibouti. Afar tribesmen who had used the Galafi post, in western Djibouti, in 1991 to bring their illegal consignments of khat (nicknamed "Scud" due to each packet's missile-like shape, ION No 481) had been a serious competitor for the state-backed Societe d'Importation du Khat (SOGIK) and a threat for state revenues.
DJIBOUTI, ETHIOPIA ISSUE JOINT COMMUNIQUE
(SWB 10 Oct 94 [VOEE in English, 7 Oct 94])
Ethiopia and Jibuti have issued a joint communique in which both sides
reiterated to strengthen their good-neighbourly relations of
friendship and cooperation. The communique followed a four-day
official working visit to Jibuti by President Meles Zenawi...
The two parties underscored the vital role being played by the Ethio-Jibuti railway in linking the two countries and peoples. They agreed to intensify their efforts to find means and ways of rehabilitating the railway, restructuring the organization and reinforcing security along the railway line. The two parties underlined the need to reinforce their cooperation in the (?domain) of telecommunication, particularly in the utilization of the transit facilities available at Jibuti. The Ethiopian side assured its Jibuti counterpart that it will take all necessary measures to increase its use of the port of Jibuti...
PROFITABLE REFUGEES
(ION 15 Oct 94, p.2)
According to an Arab diplomatic source, Saudi Arabia and Djibouti are
studying the possibility of the Horn of Africa country setting up a
well-equipped military camp to receive the hundreds of South Yemeni
military who took refuge in Djibouti just before the Yemen northern
army captured Aden during the recent Yemeni civil conflict. The
military are currently lodged in Djibouti hotels. Head of state Hassan
Gouled Aptidon is believed to have agreed in principle on condition
that his country is not transformed into an operations base for South
Yemenis and that they are merely "passing through". In return, the
Djibouti government has asked Saudi Arabia for financial aid to the
tune of USD 2 million, a price which the Saudis have reportedly
esteemed somewhat high.
DJIBOUTI "FAVORABLY CONSIDERING" DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL
(SWB 19 Oct 94 [Voice of Israel external service, Jerusalem, in
English 17 Oct 94])
Israel and Jibuti are due to announce diplomatic relations in the near
future. The ambassador of the Arab north East African country told
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations that his country is
favourably considering the move. Israeli sources say the two
ambassadors have held secret meetings in the past few months.
US BUDGETARY AID REDUCED BY 50%
(ION 8 Oct 94, p.7)
Djibouti's finance minister Ahmed Aden Yussuf and the United States
ambassador to Djibouti Martin L. Cheshes signed an agreement on
September 28 covering US annual budget assistance for the year
1994-1995. The aid will amount to US$ 1 million (about 177 million
Djibouti francs) which is a reduction of around 50 percent compared
with the previous year, when Washington gave Djibouti $2 million in
budget aid.
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** E R I T R E A **
ACRONYMS: ARDU - Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union ARDUF - Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front CERA - Commission for Eritrean Refugee Affairs CRS - Catholic Relief Secretariat ECE - Evangelical Church of Eritrea EDLM - Eritrean Democratic Liberation Movement EDM - Eritrean Democratic Movement ELF - Eritrean Liberation Front ELF-RC - ELF-Revolutionary Council ELF-UO - ELF-Unity Organisation EPLF Eritrean People's Liberation Front ERRA - Eritrean Relief and Rehabilitation Association ERD - Emergency Relief Desk PFDJ - Popular Front for Democracy and Justice PGE - Provisional Government of Eritrea PROFERI - Programme for Refugee Reintegration and Rehabilitation of Resettlement Areas in Eritrea ** BUILDING A MODERN STATE **REBUILDING MASSAWA
(ANB 1 Sep 94, p.2 [The Courier, Brussels, Jul-Aug 94])
Massawa is the larger of Eritrea's two ports on the Red Sea coast, and its oldest city. Traders from ancient Greece and the Egypt of the Pharaohs used to sail into this natural harbour before the Christian era... Thirty years ago, before Eritrea's war of liberation began, it was a prosperous place with a population of some 80,000 engaged mainly in cement manufacture, salt-panning, ice production, harbour working and commercial fishing. Health, education and transport facilities were good.
Massawa's misfortune
...During the long struggle for independence, Massawa was one of the prizes over which the liberation movements and the central government fought longest and hardest...
In 1990 the EPLF finally returned and captured the major part of Massawa from the forces of the Ethiopian Derg, which then bombed the city repeatedly for six months, from the landward outskirts by day and from warships off the coast by night...
Destruction
At liberation, only a quarter of Massawa's original population was left. The schools were all wrecked, and the largest hospital, with 1,000 beds, had been bombed out, along with many small clinics. For 20,000 citizens, there was only one bus, and not one public latrine. The antiquated pipes (built during the Italian occupation) which carry the city's water supply were losing half their content in leaks--and the supply was already meagre following 10 years of drought. There were no trucks to pick up the rubbish which choked the streets, and the road surfaces had been pulverised by the Ethiopian army's tanks. When the defeated army fled, it had taken all government and private money out of the banks with it, leaving the city and its inhabitants penniless.
Massawa re-born
One of those who returned to Massawa with the EPLF was the man who is now its mayor, Musa Hussein Naib... Citizens' assemblies were organised to mobilise people for cooperative work, and cleaning the city up ultimately took several months. Working voluntarily and unpaid in their free time, mechanics put up bus shelters and got a few scrapped buses back into running order, so that people no longer had to walk everywhere--a welcome relief in a climate where merciless sun alternates with torrential rain.
Normalisation process
Unemployment was initially serious, but some traders and private entrepreneurs, shops and restaurants, were able to start operating shortly after liberation, and city hall kept on workers at state-owned enterprises, teachers and civil servants.
Although Massawa has very rich fishing grounds, the Derg had forbidden offshore fishing as an alleged threat to security, so work was started to encourage fishermen back into their trade, with the Ministry of Marine Resources helping them acquire or make nets and boats and repair the ice factory.
As income began to be generated, the city continued with the next (and, no doubt, less popular) stage of the normalisation process, collecting taxes, and the technical ministries helped out with supplies and equipment for public works. This meant that schools were soon able to open again in partly repaired buildings, while the doctors and nurses still in the city were all concentrated at a small, undamaged hospital intended for 50 or 60 patients but by then accomodating 600.
Power and water
The power supply system had been severely damaged. The city's three generators were old and lacked spare parts, and all the supply lines were down. After arduous restoration work and the installation of new generators acquired with foreign aid, Massawa now has a capacity of 3000 Kw, a modest figure but enough to meet the existing demand from domestic users and small-scale industries with a surplus left over for the capital, Asmara.
To keep the city supplied with water, work started, even as the Ethiopian bombardment continued, on digging a big underground reservoir, by hand and usually at night to escape detection by overflying bombers. This reservoir has had to be kept filled, however, by trucking water in from outside. There is an ample source of fresh water 60 km to the south which will be more reliable than the present arrangement if the money to tap it can be found...
Steadily recovering
Massawa today is steadily recovering the appearance of a place of human habitation but still displays the gaping scars of war--not just wrecked buildings but large expanses of sandy wasteland where whole streets used to be...
Massawa's port
There are reasons to be cheerful, however. The port is functioning again, and the European Union had financed the construction of large storage sheds on the quayside. At present most of the movements at the docks involve the unloading of international food aid for Eritrea and Ethiopia, but the independence agreement provides for unrestricted use of the port by Eritrea's now landlocked neighbour, so, as and when Ethiopia's trade picks up, Massawa can only benefit from the increased business...
Mayor Musa Hussein Naib is proud that city hall, though poor, is now financially self-sufficient and not a burden to central government. How have he and his fellow citizens achieved this remarkable recovery? "The spirit of the people here is very encouraging," he says. "We get things done."...
REINTEGRATION OF SOLDIERS
(ERRA Newsletter Aug-Sep 94, p.5)
...Reintegration of demobilized fighters or army into civilian life,
is an ardous undertaking, which includes vocational training,
discharge payments, credit schemes, resettlement (housing and
agriculture site) and possibly credits from the bank at a low rate to
enable veterans to establish a business or deploy into agriculture...
At the end of the Eritro/Ethiopian war in 1991, the size of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF) army approached to 95,000. The end of the war had brought a relative peace and stability to the region (the Horn of Africa)...
To keep such a large army in Eritrea thus has no economic or military justification. The Eritrean Government is therefore determined to reduce its combat force by 50-60%.
The main objective of the reintegration programme is to create opportunities for the demobilized fighters to participate in the economic reconstruction to make them self-supporting...
Phase I - demobilization of 26,000 fighters. These are those who joined the liberation struggle in 1990 and subsequently up to the total liberation of Eritrea. Payment was made at the time of demobilization which ranges from 1000 to 5000 Birr for each combatant depending on their service years. In addition, food ration for six months was given and out of the 26,000 fighters demobilized in the first phase, some 21,000 came forward to claim food ration.
It was assumed that ex-fighters demobilized in Phase I due to the shorter period they have been away from the community, would find it easier to reintegrate.
Phase II. Demobilization of about 22,000 fighters. These are fighters who have been participated in struggle for a long period of time. Their prolonged involvement has increased the possibility of sustaining war injury and subsequent disability...
It is clear that reintegration of some 50,000 ex-combatants plus 10,000 dependants is a major undertaking. The total budget estimated for the programme is amounting to 48 Million USD. The government has made available (by borrowing from the bank) as initial disbursement about 18 Million USD in Phase I and about 24 Million USD in Phase II...
THE NATIONAL UNION OF ERITREAN WOMEN
(ERRA Aug-Sep 94, p.9)
Under the standard bearer of "Emancipation through equal
participation", the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEWmn) emerged
onto Eritrea's tumultuous, revolutionary landscape in 1979, as one of
the national, mass organizations of the Eritrean People's Liberation
Front (EPLF)... Not content to rest on the laurels of wartime progress
towards gender equality, the NUEWmn have remained highly active since
Independence.
In fact, at its Fourth Transitional Congress in September 1992, the NUEWmn officially declared itself an indigenous Eritrean Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and therefore independent of the Provisional Government of Eritrea (PGE) and the EPLF (since renamed the People's Front for Democracy and Justice). The Fourth Congress marked not only a physical rebirth for the NUEWmn as an autonomous organization, but a renewed symbolic and philosophical commitment, beyond war-time necessity, to the improvement of women's lives in Eritrea.
The NUEWmn's Central Headquarters in Asmara is the locus for ten provincial offices and numerous field workers across the country. With roughly 200,000 Union members from all walks of life (including the Eritrean Diaspora in Europe, the Middle East and North America), the NUEWmn pursues gender equality on village, district, sub-regional and provincial levels. Contesting the traditionally subordinate position of women in Eritrean society, the NUEWmn works extensively at a grassroots level to promote the establishment of women's fundamental rights to land, political participation and influence over family and marriage practices. Additionally, the NUEWmn strives to ensure women's equal access to education, employment and skills development, as well as health and child care services. Although most of these efforts are staged at a rural level, the NUEWmn also lobbies persistently for women's interests at a national level and forges international ties with sympathetic organizations around the world.
Eritrea's period of post-war reconstruction presents a crucial juncture in the lives of Eritrean women, as reactionary social attitudes and customary laws frequently threaten to unravel women's hard-fought progress...
Currently, the NUEWmn spearheads numerous such progressive projects. The NUEWmn's literacy campaign, for example, targets the estimated 85-90% of Eritrean women who are functionally illiterate. Under the logistical auspices of the Education Department of the NUEWmn the literacy effort seeks to develop language skills which would in turn foster business and management skills and aid women in pursuing productive employment. The literacy programme for women in Barka and Gash & Setit, for example, combines qualitative and quantitative research to best gauge the needs of women and help the NUEWmn design appropriate training structures.
The literacy campaign is complimented by vocational training programs in the areas of tailoring and typing with future efforts to aim at such non-traditional areas of work for women like carpentry, masonry, electrical and plumbing service.
The NUEWmn's rural credit program in Barka and Gash & Setit stands out as a bold pilot project geared toward providing women, many times recently resettled refugees, with a sound economic support structure, thereby opening opportunities not previously available to women in Eritrea. Research and data collection on the women within these provinces will provide a foundation for this project and will eventually assist re-settled and de-mobilized women to develop a strong economic base for themselves and their families...
THE THREAT OF FUNDAMENTALISM
(MSANEWS via NN/hrnet.africa 8 Sep 94
[Swiss Review of World Affairs 1
Sep 94, by Peter Winkler])
...Early this year the Asmara government published reports on the
activities of an Eritrean branch of Islamic Jihad in the western part
of the country. According to the Asmara reports, armed groups that had
crossed the border into Eritrea from Sudan were wiped out in a
large-scale military operation. In unusually harsh and unequivocal
terms, Asmara accused Turabi and his NIF of having armed, trained and
instructed the Islamist units. In late April a high-ranking Eritrean
delegation paid a visit to the Sudanese capital. And to make sure that
Sudan got the message, a few days earlier Asmara had concluded a
defense treaty with Ethiopia.
In conversation, the head of the African Department in the Eritrean foreign ministry emphasizes that Eritrea and Ethiopia together constitute a major potential military threat to Sudan. Eritrea, he says - in collaboration with Ethiopia, if necessary - will make short shrift of militant Islam, which hopes to spread its faith by means of threats and guns. Those who want to spread their faith with prayers, on the other hand, have nothing to fear. This official denies the existence of an indigenous Eritrean militant Islam. And the best way to prevent it from springing up, he adds, is to keep politics and religion strictly separate. "Egypt and Algeria fell into the trap they themselves set, when they permitted [fundamentalists] to play any political role at all," says the foreign ministry official.
The mufti of the Eritrean Republic (the country's highest Islamic dignitary), Sheik Al-Amin Osman, supports the separation of religion and state. The government must remain secular, he insists, in order to represent both major religious communities fairly. Eritrea's Christians and Muslims, who today each comprise about half the population, have lived together in peace since the 14th century, declares the sheik. Problems have arisen only when outside powers have played the two communities against one another and aroused them to hostility.
But in private other words are spoken about the danger of militant Islam here. Fundamentalism is gaining support especially in the Koran schools, it is said. Particularly in the Keren region, observers say, there is fertile ground for fundamentalist theories, since the city of Keren has a long tradition of strict orthodox belief. It was also the birthplace of the Eritrean Liberation Front, which began the country's struggle for independence but later, after a failed punitive expedition against the EPLF which had split off from it, was beaten by it militarily and forced from the political arena. But among the tens of thousands of refugees who still live in Sudanese camps near the Eritrean border, the ELF still enjoys some support, and those camps are a fertile recruiting ground for Islamist troublemakers.
The Eritrean leadership is trying to prevent young Muslims from becoming alienated from the youthful state by insuring that Muslims are represented in the highest levels of government. One Western diplomat regards economic development in predominantly Muslim areas - the western lowlands and the eastern coastal strip - as a key to blocking the Islamists' potential for troublemaking...
ERRA, A PARASTATAL ORGANIZATION
(ERRA Aug-Sep 94, p.6)
...ERRA is a non-profit making agency registered in Eritrea. Some 40
International NGO's have been partners to ERRA for about 15 years.
There are now about 20 Indigenous and International NGO's registered
in Eritrea and operating under the auspices of ERRA...
During this transitional period, the mandate vested to ERRA is the co-ordination of NGO's activities, the planning & distribution of relief supplies and also acts in rehabilitation and development as a link between donor agencies and the implementing ministries and departments of the Government of Eritrea. It is a parastatal organization with high degree of autonomy...
POLITICAL ROLE OUTSIDE EPLF WON'T BE TOLERATED
(Moneyclips via RBB 20 Oct 94 [Arab News by Abdul Wahab Bashir])
Jeddah, Sept. 17 - The second-most senior official in the ruling
Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front said no political activity outside
the EPLF will be tolerated at this stage where the country is being
built from scratch but promised that the proposed constitution
expected to be passed within two years will guarantee political rights
for all Eritreans.
Al-Amin Muhammad Saeed, secretary-general of the EPLF said the front is committed to political pluralism and will not seek to establish an "authoritarian regime" dominated by one faction.
"This is not a passing whim or an attempt from our side to absorb certain (considerations) but it is a matter that has been decided by the EPLF second conference in 1987 and reaffirmed during this year's conference. The political future has to be worked out after the country's first constitution was approved," Saeed told Arab News in an interview...
Speaking while on a short visit to Jeddah last week, Saeed said there is no room at this transitional period for political rivalries. Conflicts and bickering that dominated the activities of various Eritrean organizations in the past will not be allowed to resurface, he said.
Saeed met with members of the Eritrean community in the Kingdom to apprise them of the political situation and future prospects for rebuilding the country shattered by three decades of war.
"We have now moved from the stage of the revolution to that of building a modern state. We want the efforts of every Eritrean at this phase but this should be done with the sole objective of serving the motherland. The door is open before all to join in this process."
Asked on what basis would those outside the Front be allowed to take part in the political process, Saeed said they can join on individual basis and not as representatives of political groups or organizations...
ERITREA TO PRODUCE HALF ITS FOOD NEEDS
(Reuter 18 Oct 94)
ADDIS ABABA - The newly-independent Red Sea state of Eritrea estimates
grain output of up to 317,165 tonnes in the 1994 calendar year -
nearly half its total requirements, a state publication said on
Tuesday.
The Eritrean Profile quoting the country's Early Warning and Food Information System said imports and expected food aid next year would only be around 90,000 tonnes, leaving a huge deficit.
In a country of three million, the publication said up to one million people will depend on food handouts in 1995.
** REGIONAL RELATIONS **
SUDAN WINS ACCORD ON REPATRIATION OF ERITREANS
(Reuter 9 Sep 94)
KHARTOUM - The Sudanese and Eritrean governments have signed an
agreement for the voluntary repatriation of 25,000 Eritrean refugees
living in Sudan back to their country.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which will be involved in the repatriation, was party to the accord, the Sudan News Agency reported.
The agency on Friday quoted Sudan's refugee commissioner Ihsan al-Gabshawi as saying the repatriation would start this month and end in December.
There are about one million refugees in Sudan, about a half of them from Eritrea. Many of the Eritreans have been staying in Sudan for more than 25 years after fleeing their homeland mainly because of the former Ethiopian province's prolonged secessionist war with forces of the Addis Ababa government...
ERITREAN PRESIDENT ON VISIT TO KUWAIT
(SWB 15 Sep 94 [Radio State of Kuwait in Arabic 13 Sep 94])
His Excellency President Isayas Afewerki, president of the State of
Eritrea, at 1000 o'clock this morning [local time] visited His
Highness the Emir of the country at Bayan Palace, where they held
talks.
The Minister of Emiri Court Affairs Shaykh Nasir Muhammad al-Ahmad said that the talks concentrated on the development of bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and the means to consolidate them in the different spheres. The talks also dealt with the totality of the situation in the Horn of Africa...
SAUDI BUSINESSMEN'S DELEGATION TO VISIT ASMARA IN OCTOBER
(Moneyclips via RBB 30 Sep 94
[Saudi Gazette, by Mazhar Hasan Siddiqi,Staff])
Jeddah, Sept. 26: A 30-member Saudi trade delegation will arrive in
Asmara on October 15 for exploring possibilities of investment in the
war and drought-ravaged Eritrea, Tekie Beyene, Eritrea Investment
Centre's managing director, said.
Saudi investors, Beyene said, are "more than willing" to contribute to the newly independent country's reconstruction, rehabilitation and development efforts.
They already have invested in fisheries, industry and tourism sectors, he said.
But the forthcoming assorted mission organised by Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry will boost further the Saudi share of investment in the young state.
Eritrea was looking forward to striking a joint economic co-operation agreement with the Kingdom, he said.
With Ethiopia, he said, the creation of a free trade zone was under "active consideration."...
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** E T H I O P I A **
ACRONYMS: AAPO - All Amhamra People's Organisation ADU - Afar Democratic Union ALF - Afar Liberation Front APDO - Afar People's Democratic Organisation ARDU - Afar Revolutionary Democratic Union ARDUF - Afar Revolutionary Democratic Unity Front BPLM - Benishangul People's Liberation Movement CAFPDE - Council of the Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia COEDF - Coalition of Ethiopian Democratic Forces CRDA - Christian Relief and Development Association ECS - Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat EDAG - Ethiopian Democratic Action Group EDC - Ethiopian Democratic Organization Coalition EDUP - Ethiopian Democratic Unionist Party EECMY - Eth. Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus ENDP - Ethiopian National Democratic Party EPDA - Ethiopian Peoples' Democratic Alliance EPDM - Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement EPRDF - Ethiopian People's Rev. Democratic Front EPRP - Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party ESDL - Ethiopian Somali Democratic League ESDM - Ethiopian Somali Democratic Movement GDU - Gamo Democratic Union GPDF - Gurage People's Democratic Front HPDO - Hadia People's Democratic Organisation IFLO - Islamic Front for the Liberation of Oromia IGLF - Issa Gurgura Liberation Front KPC - Kembata People's Congress MEISONE - All Ethiopia Socialist Union OALF - Oromo Abo Liberation Front OLF - Oromo Liberation Front ONLF - Ogaden National Liberation Front OPDO - Oromo People's Democratic Organisation ORA - Oromo Relief Association OSAFU - Oromo Students Association of Finfine University SEPDC - Southern Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Coalition SGPDO - Sodo Gordena People's Democratic Organisation SPDO - Sidama People's Democratic Organisation TPLF - Tigray People's Liberation Front TWU - Tigri-Worji Union UODO - United Oromo Democratic Organisation UOPLF - United Oromo People's Liberation Front WPE - Workers' Party of Ethiopia WPDF - Wolaita People's Democratic Front WSLF - Western Somali Liberation Front ** THE DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS **ETHIOPIAN ELECTION DATES
(NNS Aug 94)
Elections to the Constituent Assembly in Ethiopia took place on June 5 in all regions except Region 5 (Somali) and Dire Dawa. Elections in Dire Dawa took place on July 31 and voting for Region 5 happened on August 28.
ELECTIONS HELD IN SOMALI REGION
(SWB 6 Sep 94 [VOE in Amharic, 4 Sep 94])
Candidates of the Ethiopian Somali Democratic League [ESDL] for
Constituent Assembly elections in Region Five [Somali region in
eastern Ethiopia] held last Sunday [28th August] have won in seven of
the 11 constituencies whose results have been announced, the national
election board's information and statistics department reported. The
head of the department told ENA [Ethiopian News Agency] that the ESDL
candidates won in Sheleye [phonetic], Aysha, Tsenot, Fik, Kebri Dehar,
Eastern Gamo and Cherit constituencies. Independent candidates won in
Werder, Geladi and Segego [phonetic] and the Western Somali Democratic
Party won in Dego Mehatso [both elements of name phonetic]. The
election results of Gode, Kelafo, Elkere, Lege Hare and Dolo Odo
constituencies will be announced after counting ends.
ETHIOPIA'S ASSEMBLY TO DISCUSS DRAFT CONSTITUTION
(Reuter 20 Oct 94)
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia's newly elected Constituent Assembly will meet
for the first time on October 28 to discuss a draft document on the
country's future constitution, the government announced on Thursday.
The 548-strong assembly was elected in June and is mandated to approve a new constitution following the overthrow of the Marxist military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991...
Opposition groups ranged against the EPRDF are boycotting the assembly, saying it does not reflect the wishes and interests of the people.
Among main points to be discussed are the right of self-determination for Ethiopia's different regions and ethnic groups, and land ownership.
The present government favours self-determination and would like land ownership to remain a prerogative of government.
Opposition groups say self-determination would destroy Ethiopia's unity and lead to chaos in Africa's most ancient nation. They also favour private ownership of land.
ETHIOPIA MAY HOLD ELECTIONS IN FEBRUARY
(Reuter 5 Sep 94)
ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia may hold multi-party elections in February, the
first since a Marxist regime was overthrown three years ago, President
Meles Zenawi has said.
But Meles said it was up to the country's constituent assembly to fix dates for the polls...
The president said his government has conducted direct and indirect discussions with different opposition groups urging them to participate in the multi-party election.
"The government strongly feels that their (opposition groups) participation is useful in strengethening the democratisation process," he said.
"They will not achieve anything by refusing to take part," he added.
Opposition groups had boycotted polls for the constituent assembly last June in protest against government proposals for local autonomy saying they feared this could destroy Ethiopian unity.
** OPPOSITION **
JIMMY CARTER GOES EAST TO ADDIS
(ION 17 Sep 94, p.2)
Although the visit of former US president Jimmy Carter to Addis Ababa
last week was officially meant to boost an agricultural assistance
programme of the Carter Center of Atlanta (GA), almost inevitably it
took on a political hue. Carter met with several representatives of
the political opposition before declaring on September 8 that he would
"continue to make strong efforts along with others to bring the
opposition into the election this coming year for parliament". He said
that Ethiopia's head of state Meles Zenawi and several government
ministers had assured him that "everything would be done to ensure the
free participation of opposition candidates" in the elections,
currently scheduled for February 1995. Although Carter mentioned the
"notable progress made" in human rights compared with Ethiopia's
previous regime, he said "One issue I disagree with the government is
on the degree of press freedom", adding that Ethiopia had "much more
restraint on press freedom than I would personally approve"...
ETHIOPIAN OPPOSITION THREATENS TO BOYCOTT ELECTION
(Reuter 16 Oct 94)
ADDIS ABABA - An Ethiopian opposition front grouping some 30 political
organisations has threatened to boycott upcoming multi-party elections
unless the transitional government stopped intimidating and arresting
rival parties supporters.
Beyene Petros, President of the Council of Alternative Forces for Peace and Democracy in Ethiopia (CAFPDE) told a news conference on Saturday the transitional government led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPDRF) was heading towards "absolute dictatorship."...
POLICE REPORTEDLY ARREST 500 OPPOSITION SUPPORTERS AFTER DEMONSTRATION
(SWB 26 Sep 94 [AFP in English, 24 Sep 94])
Addis Ababa: Police arrested 500 opposition supporters here and plan
to lay charges against 430 of them, the Central Bureau of
Investigation said, according to a report [on] Saturday [24th
September] by the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA). The opposition
[All-]Amhara People's Organization (AAPO) earlier said police had
detained more than 1,500 of its supporters [on] Tuesday after a
demonstration...
ALL-AMHARA PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATION SUPPORTERS FREED FROM CUSTODY
(SWB 3 Oct 94 [VOEE in English, 30 Sep 94])
The central bureau of the police force say some 158 supporters of the
All-Amhara People's Organization [AAPO], who were in police custody on
charges of staging illegal demonstration and contempt of court, have
been released.
The bureau said the cases of the rest of individuals detained on similar charges were under investigation. He said that the detainees had illegally gathered in the premises of the Central High Court disturbing proceedings against [the AAPO] president, Prof Asrat Woldeyes, and other members of the organization, broke the windscreen of a police van and injured two policemen.
Seventeen of the 500 prisoners had earlier been released as they pleaded not guilty. The bureau said legal proceedings against the released and those still in prison had been deferred.
** HUMAN RIGHTS **
ARRESTS OF MEMBERS OF SIDAMA LIBERATION MOVEMENT
(NN/AI 3 Oct 94, AI Index: AFR 25/24/94])
Arrests of members of the Sidama Liberation Movement (SLM), a
recognized political party, are continuing amidst allegations that
some have been ill- treated in custody.
Acting Vice-Chairman of the SLM, Lemma Sidamo, was arrested by soldiers at his home in Addis Ababa on 22 September 1994. The precise grounds for his arrest are not known. He has not been taken to court within the prescribed 48-hour limit, when prisoners must be either charged, remanded in court for investigation into a suspected criminal offence, or released...
In August 1994 the government accused the SLM of having an armed group in the south linked to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which the SLM has denied. Up to 300 SLM members and supporters, including the two other SLM officials named above - Getu Tenite and Daniso Borsama - were arrested in Awassa on 16 August 1994 and are currently detained in Awassa and Yirgalem without charge or trial.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The SLM opposition party draws its members from the Sidama ethnic group in the south. It previously belonged to the Council of Representatives (parliament) until it was expelled in 1993 for attending a conference of opposition exiles in Paris. The SLM is a member of the Southern Coalition opposition grouping...
ARRESTS IN AMBO AND GUDER
(AI 27 Sep 94, AI Index: AFR 25/23/94)
[HAB: Due to limited space, a list of 11 names, including a 13
year-old school girl, has been omitted.]
Between 7 and 14 September 1994 those listed above were detained in the towns of Ambo and Guder (west of Addis Ababa), following the funeral on 6 September of a local man who may have been the victim of an extrajudicial execution. In total over 70 people are believed to have been detained and arrests are reported to be continuing...
Most of those named above attended the Ethiopian Orthodox Church funeral in Ambo of Derara Kefana, an elderly businessman there (owner of a hotel). Reports indicate that he was shot and killed near his home by soldiers on 3 September after being told to raise his hands to surrender. At the funeral, several people criticised the killing and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Although full details of the shooting are not yet clear, it seems that Derara Kefana did not resist arrrest. His body was taken to a hospital in Addis Ababa for a post-mortem examination but there has been no inquest yet.
The majority of the detainees are being held incommunicado in Ambo and Guder police stations, where some have allegedly been beaten. They reportedly went on hunger-strike for some days. None of the detainees has been brought to court or charged, although the law requires that they be brought to court within 48 hours and either charged or remanded for investigation in connection with a specific offence, or released...
"DISAPPEARANCES" IN HARAR
(NN/AI 26 Sep 94, AI index: AFR 25/22/94)
Mustafa Idris is still "disappeared" after being allegedly abducted by
security officers in Addis Ababa on 31 May 1994. The Ministry of
Internal Affairs has denied that he is in police or prison custody -
but there has been no reply about the suspicion that the security
service (also within the Ministry of Internal Affairs) is holding him
in a secret security interrogation centre.
Mustafa Idris' sister, Fatuma Idris, has also "disappeared". It is feared she was abducted by security officers on 30 July 1994 in Harar city in eastern Ethiopia, where she lives with her husband and their several children. She had reportedly been privately outspoken about her brother's "disappearance". One report suggests she might be secretly held in a military camp in Garamuleta, a small town west of Harar...
MEMBERS OF ONLF "DISAPPEARED"
(NN/AI 25 Aug 94, AI Index: AFR 25/18/94)
[HAB: Due to limited space, a list of 16 names has been omitted.]
The 16 people named above, all members or suspected members of the
Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), have "disappeared" in
military custody. There are serious fears for their safety,
particularly in view of recent reports of the extrajudicial execution
of suspected ONLF supporters, including some killed after having been
kept in incommunicado detention for up to three months...
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The ONLF won the regional assembly elections in 1993 and led the regional administration in Region Five. In 1994 ONLF demands for a referendum on independence for the region led to a major dispute with the central government and to the removal of pro-independence ONLF regional assembly members.
** DEVELOPMENT AND THE ECONOMY **
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ADOPTS 1994-95 NATIONAL BUDGET (SWB 6 Sep 94 [VOE in Amharic, 30 Aug 94]) Excerpts from report; figures as heard throughoutThe Council of Ministers has received a national draft budget totalling 9,900m birr for 1987 [Ethiopia calendar; 1994-95]... Amanuel Abdisa has the details:
[Amanuel - recording] ...The draft budget for 1987 exceeds the 1986 [1993-94] budget, which totalled 8,400m birr, by over 18.4%. Of the budget's total, 5,369m birr will be current expenditure, while the remaining 4,590m birr will be spent on development...
The central government will be allocated 3,300m birr or 61.5% of the recurrent budget, while the regions will receive 2,060m birr or 38.5%. The share of the regions during the fiscal year is relatively lower only because it was decided that certain administrative and general service expenditure, including defence, be covered by the central government. Conversely, of the 1,750m birr budgeted for economic and social services, the regions will receive 1,300m birr or 70%, showing that the regions were given great attention...
Budget allocations to economic sectors: as for the agricultural and natural resources sectors, being the backbone of the economy, will receive 22.3%, while the roads, transport communications, energy, education and health sectors, which have a great bearing on the expansion of basic development infrastructures, will receive 53.2%...
IMF APPROVAL
(ION 24 Sep 94, p.1)
Although a number of private investment projects for Ethiopia are
still in suspense following the December 1993 promulgation of the law
on attribution of urban land leaseholds (the objection is to the very
high figures set on new leases), the Ethiopian government has managed
to collect favorable overall comments from the International Monetary
Fund for the financial adminstration of the country. According to
information obtained by The Indian Ocean Newsletter, the report of the
IMF mission which went to Ethiopia in July notes very positive results
for Fiscal 1993-1994. The report says that the budget deficit has been
slashed by half as a result of a slowdown in government expenditure,
that the country's currency reserves are equal to some twenty-four
weeks' imports, that the balance of payments is in surplus, and that
the official exchange rate of the national currency (US$ 1 = Birr
5.58) has come close to its open-market rate as a result of the system
of government currency auctions.
The report says the IMF has re-valued Ethiopia's economic growth rate for fiscal 1992-1993 at +12.3 percent (compared with the +7.6 percent figure forecast last year) but in what appears to be the only discordant note, has noted a collapse in this growth rate for Fiscal 1993-1994 to no more than 1.2 percent (much less than the modest forecast of +2.2 percent). This poor result appears principally to be due to a decline of growth in the agricultural sector (-5.3 percent) following a drought which hit the cereals harvest. IMF statistics showing an annual increase in Ethiopia's cost of living of no more than 1.2 percent are, however, somewhat surprising. After being expected to stabilize somewhere [between] 10 percent and 15 percent annually and head of state Meles Zenawi's forecast at the beginning of September that the annual rate was about 10 percent, IMF apparently claims that inflation was virtually zero from July 1993 to June 1994. Yet on the ground, many prices continue to show sharp rises: telephone and facsimile charges have risen by 75 percent, the price of cigarettes has risen from 7 birr a packet to 9 birr, and sugar is sold by the state to "worthy citizens" living in Addis Ababa kebeles at 2.2 birr a kilo but at 8 birr to other residents of Addis at the market price...
PRESIDENT DEFENDS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
(Reuter 4 Sep 94)
ADDIS ABABA - President Meles Zenawi said Ethiopia's World
Bank-recommended structural adjustment programme was the only viable
way to revive the economy devastated by years of civil war and Marxist
dictatorship.
"It was imperative to implement the structural adjustment programme to uplift an economy bankrupted by years of civil war and wrong policies," Meles told a news conference in Addis Ababa on Friday evening.
Marxist policies of deposed dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam bankrupted Ethiopia and destroyed agricultural production causing huge food shortages exacerbated by drought.
Liberal economic policies implemented by the transitional government since 1992 have helped to revive the economy, which registered 7.5 percent growth in 1993.
Meles rejected allegations that the programme was imposed upon Ethiopia by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
"We introduced the structural adjustment programme because we believed it was the only viable programme to uplift the ailing economy," he added.
The independent Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions has criticized the programme saying it meant a "massive retrenchment" of workers.
Meles also said the devaluation of the birr currency from 2.07 to five to the U.S. dollar had enouraged peasant farmers to produce more cash crops, like coffee and oil seeds.
"Because of the devaluation, Ethiopia was able to earn more foreign currency from its export commodities - which helps the country to implement its development programme," he said...
OIL EXPLORATION
(ION 27 Aug 94, p.5)
Ethiopian minister for mining and energy Izedin Ali and William C.
Athens, who is chairman of an American oil company's subsidiary Afar
Exploration Company, recently signed a petroleum exploration agreement
in Addis Ababa. The petroleum concession involved extends across
22,240 sq. km in the northern part of the Afar region, around the
towns of Tendaho and Sardo, close to the Eritrean border. Sardo is
some 460 km north-east of the Ethiopian capital... The agreement also
lays down that job priority must go to Ethiopian nationals.
[ION editorial comment:] The Ethiopian government is trying to develop all forms of energy (and in priority, hydroelectric energy) in order to cut back its energy bill, which represents 28 percent of the cost of Ethiopian imports...
ETHIOPIA EARNS 23M DOLLARS FROM TOURISM INDUSTRY
(EH 1 Sep 94, p.1 [ENA])
ADDIS ABABA--Ethiopia's Tourism Commissioner Rezene Araya said
yesterday that the country has earned about 23 million US dollars in
1994 from its tourism industry.
Speaking at the on-going annual meeting of Ethiopian ambassadors, Commissioner Rezene said 93,000 foreign tourists have visited the country in one year. He described the flow of visitors as an all time high in Ethiopia's tourism history. He said most of the tourists came from the United States and European countries...
** DEVELOPMENT AID **
ETHIOPIA TO RECEIVE 1.1BN DOLLARS IN LOANS AND GRANTS IN 1994/95. (SWB 30 Aug 94 [VOEE in English, 25 Aug 94])
Ethiopia is to receive 1,100m dollars in loans and grants in 1994/95 fiscal year from donors and creditor nations in support of its various development activities. In a briefing to the annual meeting of Ethiopian ambassadors, Mr Israel Kidane Mariam, vice-minister of external economic cooperation, said member countries of the Paris Club, the IMF and the World Bank pledged to give the amount to the country following the consultative meeting in Paris early in March.
He said 655.9m dollars of the loans and grants will be used for undertaking various development projects and 494.8m dollars for supporting Ethiopia's balance of payments and 3.6m dollars for technical support. Mr Israel said close to 200m dollars of Ethiopia's debt to the Paris Club nations had been cancelled, while an equivalent amount of debt was rescheduled.
DEVELOPMENT AID AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH NCA
(EH 4 Sep 94, p.1 [ENA])
ADDIS ABABA--The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and the Norwegian Church Aid signed yesterday a 12.8 million birr aid agreement at the headquarters of the Commission.
According to the agreement the Norwegian Church Aid will undertake water wells and spring development projects, maintenance and reconstruction activites in North Omo and Bale zones besides the training of local people in various technical skills...
BRITAIN GRANTS AID FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
(SWB 6 Sep 94 [VOE in Amharic, 30 Aug 94])
The British government has given Ethiopia aid worth 48m birr [about 8m dollars] which will be used to assist Ethiopia's economic development programme. The agreement was signed today by Finance Minister Alemayehu Daba and the British ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Robin Christopher. The aid given to Ethiopia this year by the British government, including today's allocation, is expected to reach 91m birr [about 18m dollars].
CANADIAN OFFICIAL PLEDGES AID
(SWB 6 Sep 94 [VOEE in English, 4 Sep 94])
Mrs Christine Stewart, Canadian secretary of state for Latin America and Africa, announced her country's contribution to Ethiopia of a total of over 150,000 dollars from the Fund for Democracy and Development, in addition to the 54m-dollars grant in food aid.
Briefing reporters after concluding her visit to Ethiopia, the Canadian official said 86,515 dollars would be channelled to the Special Prosecutor's Office and 68,500 to the Public Defender's Office for putting war criminals on trial...
AID AGREEMENT WORTH 7.6M DOLLARS SIGNED WITH JAPAN
(SWB 13 Sep 94 [VOEE in English, 7 Sep 94])
An aid agreement providing for over 7.6m US dollars was signed here in Addis Ababa today between the governments of Ethiopia and Japan at the Ministry of External Economic Cooperation, MEC. Most of the money will be used for small-scale irrigation development activities in Ethiopia, and the balance for the country's state relief services.
The agreement was signed by MEC Minister Dr Abd al-Majid Husayn and Japanese Ambassador Yasuhiro Hamada [phonetic]. Ambassador Hamada said on the occasion that his government will give relief food assistance and an aid that would help Ethiopia increase its food production in the near future. He also assured the ministry that the government of Japan would enhance its efforts to develop and expand cooperation between the two countries.
AGREEMENTS WORTH 31.7M DOLLARS SIGNED WITH UNDP; FURTHER 54.3M DOLLARS TO COME
(SWB 20 Sep 94 [KNA news agency, Nairobi, in English 11 Sep 94])
Text of report by PANA news agency, Dakar
Addis Ababa: Two programmes of assistance totalling 31.7m US dollars were signed in Addis Ababa [on] Saturday [10th September] between the government and the UNDP, reports PANA.
The first programme, amounting to 17.5m dollars, will be used to support a sustained management of the environment and natural resources. The country will attempt to do so by reducing land degradation by protecting the environment, creating employment and generating foreign exchange. It aims to use Ethiopia's natural resources in a sustainable manner.
In the second programme, amounting to 14.2m dollars, Ethiopia is trying to increase access to health, education and training, appropriate science and technology.
The UNDP has earmarked 86m dollars for Ethiopia's fifth country programme for 1993-97. The remaining four programmes will be finalized and signed between the Ethiopian government and UNDP in the near future.
AID AGREEMENTS SIGNED WITH USA AND GERMANY
(SWB 4 Oct 94 [VOE in Amharic, 23 Sep 94])
The government of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Germany today signed a 8.6m-dollar financial and technical aid agreement. The USA has also pledged 6m dollars'worth of aid for the democratization process taking place in Ethiopia...
AID AGREEMENT WITH ITALY PROVIDES 19.2M-DOLLAR IMPORT CREDIT
(SWB 18 Oct 94 [VOEE in English 6 Oct 94])
Editorial report
The governments of Italy and of Ethiopia have signed an aid agreement providing for the development of private industries. The 19.2m dollars secured from the government of Italy in aid will be used to purchase and import processing machinery, raw materials and spare parts from Italy. The Ministry of Industry has said beneficiaries of the grant will be entrepreneurs who wish to establish new and replace old industrial plants. The ministry added that two-thirds of the assistance would go to entrepreneurs and the balance to state-owned industrial firms. The ministry said only licensed entrepreneurs with certificates from the National Investment Office would be able to take full advantage of industrial machinery yet to be imported.
** FOOD SECURITY **
CENSUS TO SET STAGE FOR DEVELOPMENT
(IPS 10 Oct 94, by Anaclet Rwegayura)
ADDIS ABABA - It's time for Ethiopians to stand up and be counted -literally.
A nationwide population and housing census kicks off Tuesday to determine the size and social needs of the poverty-ridden Horn of Africa country. The exercise is scheduled to last 10 days...
Currently, Ethiopia's population is estimated at around 55 million, with nearly half of the figure aged below 16.
But the pattern of Ethiopia's population distribution, says a recent study by the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF), is uneven and not matched with the distribution of resources...
The problems that confound development in Ethiopia are those that confront all sub-Saharan countries: burgeoning demand for basic social services, high infant and maternal mortality, and a depressed economy.
Rural privation in Ethiopia yearly drives thousands of people to dirty and overcrowded city slums, adding to the tide of crime and insecurity in urban centres...
URGENT ACTION NEEDED IN FOOD SECURITY MANAGEMENT
(IPS 10 Oct 94, by Susan Litherland)
LONDON - ...[Ethiopia] is once more on the brink of a food crisis, according to a new report by the British charity Christian Aid...
The reasons are varied and so complex they appear unsurmountable, but Chris Robinson, author of the report claims there is still a chance to manage food security so that the country has a less hungry future.
"Ten years after the famine and three years after the end of its civil war, half of Ethiopia's 55 million people still don't have enough food," he said, adding that the key to solving the problem lies in "more investment in agriculture and better planned food aid".
Ethiopia needs an extra 320,000 tonnes of food every year to maintain its population, which grows annually by two million...
Domestic food production needs to increase by almost six percent every year until 2000 if the country is not to become more dependent on food aid. And that would still only keep people fed at the low level of nutrition most can scrape together, the report says.
The transitional government, which took over from the previous communist regime in 1991, is committed to a market-based economy, an emphasis on peasant farming, and reducing poverty.
It has set in place an agricultural development strategy and a five year programme, aid for which will be coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Robinson, who is Christian Aid's European Union (EU) officer, is convinced that major investment is needed if balanced support is to be given to farmers in both high and low potential growing areas.
So far donors have pledged only 48 per cent of the programme's 1.2 billion dollar five-year budget, partly because they feel the government's pace towards privatisation is too slow.
Such cautiousness could end up costing them more. The report claims that funding basic inputs like seeds, tools and livestock, investing in an infrastructure that would boost capacity and in credit schemes, may in the long run be cheaper than the annual 300 million dollar bill for food aid.
Agriculture contributes about 91 per cent of the national food supply, yet both its crop and livestock yields per hectare are among the lowest in the world.
"The international community has a choice," says Robinson. "It can take a business-as-usual, arms-folded approach to Ethiopia; or it can show real understanding on the constraints of food security and a determination not to let cracks in the consensus slow things down."
Whether to increase the area cultivated, or to boost yield per hectare is just one of many questions on which donors and the government must agree. On a far larger scale is the issue of the World Bank-sponsored Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).
Although it is early days, non-governmental organisations say Ethiopia's SAP has avoided the damage caused to food security in other countries, where government's have been pushed to cut subsidies on agriculture, force open markets to cheap food imports, and switch production from food crops to export crops...
Paradoxically the bumper harvest of 1992 led directly to this year's food crisis. With the abundance of home-grown food, donors cut back their food aid for 1993, leaving stocks used to supplement deliveries in the first quarter of 1994 at a low level. When in April it was realised that the harvest would fail, food donors suddenly had to revise upwards their tonnage.
There were fears that later deliveries would not be enough. In the end, due to speedy action by donors and government, the crisis was contained, but it left the realisation that scheduling could be a lot better.
To avoid a recurrence Robinson says that food aid donors should decide each summer on a minimum delivery of about 500,000 tonnes to arrive early the following year. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has already moved in this direction by pre-programming a delivery to arrive next January.
Roger Naumann, a senior representative of another British aid agency, Oxfam, thinks Christian Aid has hit the nail on the head. "The main objection would be that the pre-programmed food might not be needed, but this would almost never be the case as the country's food deficit in a good year is between 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes."
At present, the first food aid of the year often arrives in March. The revised schedule would ensure the food reaches Ethiopia at the beginning of the year and builds up until May, covering the dry period when farmers are available for the food-for-work schemes and need the rations.
"If the food is made available to farmers, they can put energy into terracing, reforestation and other activities that in the long term will boost the quality of land available for agriculture," Naumann says.
The Christian Aid report also urges donors to provide the government with another anti-famine weapon in the form of a fund of foreign exchange to rapidly buy food imports...
TWO AGREEMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS SIGNED WITH USA
Two amendment agreements were signed yesterday between the governments
of Ethiopia and the USA. According to a press release the first
amendment agreement provides for 2m dollars, in addition to the 4.2m
[dollars] agreed in 1994, for the purchase of 143,000 metric tonnes
[t] of wheat and 70,000 t of sorghum to be added to the food reserve
of the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. The second amended
agreement (?replaces) the final tranche of (?the) assessor for the
development of competitive market programme, for a total of 66.5m
dollars...
JAPAN TO GIVE 1.5B YEN GRANT TO ETHIOPIA
Tokyo--Japan will provide up to 1.5 billion yen in grant aid to
Ethiopia to support its efforts to increase food supplies, the
government announced Friday.
A maximum 850 million yen is earmarked for a project to increase food
production, while up to 650 million yen will be used to purchase
provisions.
Notes on the aid were exchanged in the Ethiopian capital of Addis
Ababa the same day.
** NATURAL DISASTERS **
FLOODING
(SWB 23 Aug 94 [VOE in Amharic, 19 Aug 94])
Heavy rains in Fogera district of southern Gonder [in Region Three,
northern Ethiopia] last week destroyed crops growing on 7,770 ha of
farmland...
(SWB 30 Aug 94 [VOE in Amharic, 28 Aug 94])
(Reuter 28 Aug 94)
Addis regional president Tefera Walewa asked local and international
donor organisations to provide assistance.
VOLCANO ERUPTS IN SOUTHWEST
ADDIS ABABA - A volcano erupted near the southwest Ethiopian town of
Harto Burkito last week and was still active on Monday, the Ethiopian
News Agency said.
The eruption damaged houses, leaving about 100 people homeless, and
destroyed many crops.
The agency gave no name for the volcano. It said this was the first
time one had erupted in the Horn of Africa country.
** PRESIDENT MELES IN THE USA **
THUMBS-UP FROM WASHINGTON
Ethiopian head of state Meles Zenawi returned to Addis Ababa on August
17 following a six-day official visit to the United States during
which he met with the US president, Bill Clinton...
[ION editorial comment:] A few weeks before president Zenawi's
official visit to Washington, the US assistant secretary of state for
African affairs George Moose and his predecessor in that post Herman
Cohen presented their points of view to the House Foreign Affairs
Sub-committee on Africa. Referring to Ethiopia's elections for a
constituent assembly of June 5, George Moose said that "neither
exclusionary attitudes by those in power nor boycotts by those in
opposition serve the cause of democratization". What the US government
would like to see, the official said, is "a greater dialogue between
the government and opposition on Ethiopia's future". The point should
be to "bring boycotting groups back into the political process", he
said, referring to the decision by opposition political parties to
boycott the national elections on June 5. Former assistant secretary
of state Cohen's testimony was more favourable for the Ethiopian
authorities. But he too criticized the electoral boycott, saying that
"boycotts and organizing for violence are not what Ethiopia needs
right now". Turning to the issue of war crimes trials, which the
transitional government of Ethiopia wants to begin, Cohen said that he
was now convinced that the Dergue (former military government) led by
lieutenant-colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam was "in a category for which
amnesty cannot be justified". Meanwhile, US Agency for International
Development (USAID) deputy administrator John Hicks told the same
House subcommittee that the United States has "maintained our aid and
not increased it" because of US government concern for Ethiopia's
progress on human rights.
/HAB/ See HAB 4/94, "Foreign relations" section under Ethiopia.
MELES: I GO BACK COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH MY VISIT
Question: Let's begin with your meeting with Clinton. It is like this
is the first time in 21 years that a President from your country has
come to the US. You came to power three years ago promising democracy.
What was it that you will be discussing with President Clinton?
Meles: I came here to discuss with the President both bilateral issues
and the Horn of Africa initiative of the President. The "Great Horn",
as it is defined by USAID, includes Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya
and all the region.
Question: You have talked about the role that the US has to take, as
you said, a more pro-active role in preventing disaster... What can
the US do to prevent those disasters?
Meles: Well the first thing that needs to be done is to understand
what the root causes of the disasters occurring in Africa are. Once
people really understand what the problem is, then people can take
preventive measures. The process so far has been to try to put out
fires once they erupt. The Horn of Africa initiative of the President,
I think, is a welcome departure from that. He took this initiative to
prevent the types of hunger, death and disaster that we saw in 1984 in
Ethiopia. We have been able to prevent such a recurrence of death
partly because of this initiative.
Question: ...Do you think that Ethiopia is stabilized and that the
people are no longer starving?
Meles: Yes, our country has stabilized and I can say people are no
longer starving in that sense. I do not mean that people have enough
to eat. That is not the case. But people are not starving to death
now.
Question: Are you seeking more U.S. dollars?...
Meles: No, that's not why I came here; I came here to plead for a more
pro-active approach to helping us resolve our problems and I've got
that promise.
Question: This visit really marks a new opening in relations between
the U.S. and Ethiopia with your new government being in power and the
promise of democracy, and reportedly, the Clinton administration urged
your administration to promote the rule of law. What is your response
to this?
Meles: There is no difference in principle between the U.S. on this
issue. It is a question of the pace of the changes. There are concerns
about the human rights in our country. This involves, among other
things, the fact that we have about 400 former officials in prison.
They are yet being tried. Since three years they have been in prison,
we share that belief that "justice delayed is justice denied". But, we
are dealing with war criminals, with people involved in human rights
abuses and we recognize that even the West, with all the backing of
the institutions that it had after the Second World War, needed a
rather long time to try the Nazi criminals as it is taking us now.
Question: Your critics also were concerned about the elections coming
up, to have international monitors. Is that something that you have
promised?
Meles: We have always welcomed international observers.
Question: So that will happen also?
Meles: Yes.
Question: Your critics also accuse you of promoting ethnic division.
What is happening between the different ethnic groups in your country?
Meles: Sometimes, people in Africa feel that they can wish away ethnic
differences. Experience in Rwanda has taught us that this is not the
case; experience in Liberia has taught us this is not the case. What
we are trying to do in Ethiopia is to recognize that ethnic
differences are part of life in Africa, part of political life in
Africa, and try to deal with them in a rational manner, rather than
hide that there are ethnic differences. We are saying that people
should express it freely. In that way, I think, one can avoid a
situation that we saw in Rwanda.
Question: ...What do you hope to take back with you?
Meles: I hope to take back a committment on the part of the U.S., a
commitment to persevere in assisting us to solve our problems and a
commitment to take a pro-active approach in dealing with our problems.
I have that commitment. I am going back completely satisfied with my
visit.
** REFUGEES **
OVER 160,000 SOMALI REFUGEES SHELTERED IN ETHIOPIA
ARRA said the figure was known following a Somali refugee census
conducted on September 5, by a group comprising members of ARRA,
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) African liaison
office, defence force and donor organizations in the presence of
international observers...
MORE THAN 500 REFUGEES REPATRIATED FROM JIBUTI, 10,000 MORE READY TO FOLLOW
** HUMANITARIAN ISSUES **
CONSULTATION ON PEACE MAKING IN AFRICA
AFRICA SHOULD FOCUS ON PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Speaking at the opening conference organized by International Alert
[and the Ad Hoc Peace Committee] on the Challenge for Peace Making in
Africa: Conflict Prevention and Resolution, the minister said unless
Africa and its friends focus not only on the preventive diplomacy but
also on preventative measures in the economic and social areas, it
would be difficult to reverse the process of decline whose major
manifestation are conflicts currently raging on the continent...
ETHIOPIA'S LUTHERAN CHURCH RESOLVES TO EMPOWER WOMEN
The debate to involve women, who constitute 52 percent of the EECMY
membership, has been going on for the past 30 years but without any
progress, with the church giving little or no attention to the matter,
the APS observed. The women's desks in the church were previously
attached to the other departments and had no forum within the church
to make independent decisions. With this new development, said EECMY
communications coordinator Shiburu Galla, the church will give women
the possibility to independently decide on matter concerning church
and society. They will, however, be answerable to the general
secretary's office...
The church is discussing the ordination of women, but has yet to reach
a conclusion...
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** S O M A L I A **
** UN AND SOMALIA **
REPORT BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCERNING THE SITUATION IN SOMALIA AND CRITIQUE BY SOMALIA TASK
FORCE
/HAB/ Due to space limitations, we have combined excerpts from the UN
report of 17 September with the Somalia Task Force's critique.
Although the STF's critique quotes the UN report extensively, we have
chosen to reprint even more of the UN report. Each section of the UN
report is prefaced by "UN:"; all UN text is in quotes. Each section of
the critique prefaced by "STF:".
STF: The Somalia Task Force is an independent policy discussion group
composed of academic specialists and representatives of NGOs, as well
as observers from U.S. and U.N. agencies. It serves as a forum for
interaction between research specialists and practitioners in Somalia,
in order to generate policy proposals that best serve the long-term
interests of the Somali people. The following is one of a series of
planned critiques and discussion papers regarding the present and
future role of the international community in Somalia.
Introduction
The report on Somalia issued by the Secretary-General to the Security
Council on September 17, 1994 (S/1994/1068) comes at a critical moment
in U.N. policy toward Somalia, as the Security Council deliberates on
the future mandate of UNOSOM (United Nations Operation in Somalia).
The document in question is the first of a two-part report. Part one
is intended to give "a factual account of recent developments in
Somalia;" part two, to be submitted in mid-October, will provide
recommendations for the Security Council, based in large part on the
results of the visit to Somalia undertaken from September 15-19 by Mr.
Kofi Annan, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace-Keeping Operations.
Disturbingly, the September 17 report to the Security Council contains
some inaccurate and misleading analyses of the situation on the ground
in Somalia. While distortions in earlier UN reporting on Somalia have
been cause for concern, the inaccuracies in the section "Political
Developments" of the most recent report are especially egregious and
require clarification. In the critique which follows, the Somalia Task
Force attempts to correct some of the most serious misreadings
contained in the Secretary-General's report.
We also raise more general concerns about the need for honest,
depoliticized, and accurate reporting by the UN administration to its
member- states. The criticism we level at the reporting of the UN
Secretariat is intended to be constructive, based on our collective
desire to see the UN function more effectively, in Somalia and
elsewhere. To be effective as it takes on new and complex challenges,
the organization must, at a minimum, build and maintain a reputation
for truthful and transparent reporting.
T he Making of a Secretary-General's Report
Routinely, the Security Council requests of the office of the
Secretary-General progress reports on the growing number of U.N.
peacekeeping missions. The report is generally due one month prior to
the Security Council's decision to renew the mandate of the mission in
question - usually once every six months. The Secretary-General's
report carries both a factual account and analysis of the situation
and a set of recommendations regarding the mandate of the peace
operation. While key member-states lobby for their own proposals
during the drafting of the report, the UN Secretariat clearly is able
to protect its own organizational interests as well. Once the final
report is submitted, it is unusual for the Security Council to deviate
significantly from the recommendations made by the Secretary-General.
The Secretary-General's report is, therefore, of considerable
importance.
In the case of Somalia and UNOSOM, the first drafts of the
Secretary-General's many progress reports to the Security Council have
been written by UN officials in Mogadishu. Though the document
reflects continuous dialogue with New York, the officials in Mogadishu
have considerable influence in shaping both the analysis of the
current situation and the recommendations submitted for the Security
Council's consideration. Yet the officials in Mogadishu also have the
strongest personal and organizational interests to protect the mission
from criticism, budget reductions, and premature closure. As a result,
UNOSOM officials have been tempted to cleanse reports of unpleasant
realities facing the mission. It is likely that this dynamic affects
the reporting practices of other UN field operations as well. For a
number of reasons outlined below, it is a corrupting and potentially
dangerous practice.
UN: "II. POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
3. ...[The] Council will recall that, in my previous report
(S/1994/977), I expressed agreement with the assessment of my Special
Representative that conflicts within the Hawiye clan constituted the
major obstacle to national reconciliation and that the successful
conclusion of a Hawiye peace conference would greatly facilitate the
national reconciliation process."
STF: In reality, top UNOSOM officials in Mogadishu have acknowledged
in interviews that they never believed that a pan-Hawiye peace
conference was possible in the short-term. Moreover, virtually no one
in New York, either in the Secretariat or among Security Council
member-states, believed it either, as UN officials admit. Throughout
the summer and into September of 1994, heavy intra- Hawiye clashes
occurred outside the walls of UNOSOM in south Mogadishu, making the
proposition that a Hawiye reconciliation was within grasp seem
unlikely. Yet that was the premise on which UNOSOM sought, and
secured, justification for the renewal of its mandate.
UN: "4. Since my last report, my Special Representative has been
engaged in intensive consultations with Mr. Ali Mahdi, General Aidid
and the Imam of Hirab, Imam Mahamoud Imam Omar, concerning
arrangements for convening the Hawiye peace conference and the
national reconciliation conference. During their discussions, the Imam
of Hirab confirmed to my Special Representative the willingness of
both Mr. Ali Mahdi and General Aidid to participate in the
conferences. In separate discussions with my Special Representative,
both General Aidid and Mr. Ali Mahdi assured him of their support for
the initiative of the Imam to resolve differences among the Hawiye
subclans (Abgal, Habr Gedir, Hawadle and Murusade) as a prelude to the
national reconciliation conference."
STF: This was in fact what UNOSOM has been led to believe, by both the
faction leaders and the Imam of Hirab. But at the same time that the
Secretary-General's report was released, General Aideed unexpectedly
told UN officials that he believed the focus on a Hawiye
reconciliation was divisive and was creating tension among non-Hawiye
clans; therefore he would not support the process. In this instance,
the Secretary-General's report was simply overtaken by events on the
ground, and is no longer accurate.
UN: "...6. Over the past few weeks, the Imam has held meetings with
various subclan leaders. His efforts culminated in the convening on 20
August 1994 of a meeting attended by 36 representatives from the
Mudulood clan family (including Abgals) and the Habr Gedir. The
participants unanimously agreed that, in order to facilitate the
restoration of peace in Mogadishu, their respective "technicals" must
withdraw to their original areas of control. A committee was
accordingly established to monitor and oversee the removal of the
"technicals"..."
STF: The report is at this point guilty of omission. In a full page
reporting on developments toward Hawiye reconciliation, the report
fails to mention any of the very serious incidents of armed
hostilities which have occurred within the Hawiye clan, including: the
Habr Gedr attack on the Hawadle clan in Beled Weyn and surrounding
towns; Hawadle-Habr Gedr clashes in the airport area of south
Mogadishu; the fighting within the Murosade which has divided along
SNA-USC lines and threatens to spill over into broader factional
clashes in Mogadishu; and Murosade-Habr Gedr fighting in the Medina
neighborhood of South Mogadishu. A "factual account of recent
developments" should not have omitted these important setbacks in the
search for Hawiye reconciliation; they are critical prerequisites for
clear assessment of the likelihood of successful Hawiye peace
initiatives.
UN: "12. The Lower Juba Reconciliation Conference was successfully
concluded on 18 June 1994. There have been no major violations of the
Lower Juba peace agreement and the cease-fire is holding. The
implementation committee has been meeting in Kismayo with a view to
formulating a plan of action for the implementation of the agreement.
The leaders of the Lower Juba Reconciliation Conference and the Absame
Reconciliation Conference have continued to meet in an effort to merge
the two peace processes in order to consolidate peace in both the
Lower and the Middle Juba regions. The Chairman of the Lower Juba
Reconciliation Conference, General Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed "Liqliqato",
held successful meetings from 7 to 9 September 1994 with Imam Sayed
Hussein, Chairman of the Absame Reconciliation Conference, and General
Mohamed Said Hersi "Morgan". Agreement was reached at these meetings
to set priorities for the Juba regions and to expedite the
implementation of the Lower Juba and Absame peace agreements."
STF: This summary of the situation in the Juba/Kismayo region is
misleading and omits important contrary information:
--The lower Juba reconciliation conference was not as successful as
UNOSOM has portrayed it. In fact, it was seriously flawed, as it
omitted one of the two main parties to the conflict - the Ogadeni clan
- from the conference. The signing of a peace between Morgan and the
Habr Gedr representatives in the Juba valley will not resolve the
underlying conflict in the region between the Ogadeni and Harti clans.
--Recently the Habr Gedr have withdrawn their militia and
representatives from the lower Jubba valley, leaving the
"administration" of the region in the hands of Ogadeni Col. Omar Jess,
who rejected the lower Jubba accord. This very likely means that the
lower Jubba accord is dead in the water. --UNOSOM's own internal
reports acknowledge that the Absame reconciliation meeting, far from
representing another successful local peace, essentially broke up
without resolving most of the differences still dividing the clan.
--Fighting has broken out in two locations in the Juba region. In
Jilib, armed clashes have taken place on several occasions between the
Habr Gedr and their former allies, the Ogadenis, with numerous
casualties; and fighting between the Aulihan (Ogadenis) and the
Ajuraan clan in Buaale has led to casualties and instability.
--Tensions in Kismayo are extremely high, as the Marehan clan and most
of the Dolbahante clan have broken ranks with General Morgan over the
signing of the peace treaty with the Habr Gedr. This tension was
especially high during the meeting between Sayid Hussein, Liqliqato
and Morgan, which was not successful, contrary to UNOSOM's assessment.
--Virtually all international NGOs and UN agencies have withdrawn from
Kismayo and the Jubba region due to continued security problems and
extortion.
In sum, the situation in the Juba region is much more troubled than
the Secretary-General's report portrays it.
UN: "13. The Fifth Congress of SSDF, following two months of intensive
consultations, elected Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf as its new Chairman on
22 August 1994. The election of Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf has been
accepted and Mr. Abdirazak Haji Hussein, the nominee of the supreme
committee of the Sultans of the north-east to the chairmanship of
SSDF, has recognized the election of Abdullahi Yusuf. The Congress was
concluded on 26 August 1994 and consultations are continuing to
consolidate its outcome. Following his election as SSDF Chairman,
Colonel Yusuf has affirmed his commitment to assist in bringing
together the southern factions in Mogadishu in order to facilitate
national reconciliation, on the basis of the Addis Ababa agreement and
the Nairobi Declaration."
STF: This assessment of the political situation in the north-east of
Somalia is extremely deceptive. In reality, there is considerable
confusion over the leadership of the SSDF and the Mijerteen clan.
After the committee of sultans nominated Abdirazak - a surprise choice
- Abdullahi Yusuf rejected their nomination and convened his own
congress, which named him Chairman of SSDF. This meeting was by no
means representative of all of the Mijerteen, however, who remain
divided over leadership of the SSDF. Abdirazak left the north-east
under physical threat by the Yusuf militia, which does not, as UNOSOM
falsely implies, constitute an endorsement of Yusuf on the part of
Abdirazak. Gen. Mohamed Abshir Moussa, Abdullahi Yusuf's rival, did
not participate in the conference which selected Yusuf, and rejects
the outcome. Most observers fear that tensions within the Mijerteen
clan may soon spill over into armed clashes, which would be especially
tragic since the northeast has been the one region to escape armed
conflict during the Somali civil war. But nowhere does the
Secretary-General's report reflect this concern. Nor does it
adequately capture the level of complexity and flux which now
characterizes politics in the northeast of Somalia.
UN: "14. With respect to developments concerning the participation of
SNM in the national reconciliation process as called for under the
Nairobi Declaration, the SNM Chairman, Mr. Abdirahman Ahmed Ali, met
with the chairmen of the other three north-west-based political
factions (Somali Democratic Alliance (SDA), United Somali Party (USP)
and United Somali Front (USF)) in Djibouti, from 13 to 17 August 1994,
to consider the situation in the north-west. At the end of their
meeting, they issued a joint statement declaring, inter alia, that
secession of the north was neither feasible nor desirable and that the
national reconciliation conference envisaged under the Nairobi
Declaration was long overdue and should be convened not later than
September 1994. The statement also proposed the adoption of a federal
system of government for Somalia and conveyed an offer by the four
factions to use their good offices to mediate between the factions in
the south..."
STF: This paragraph is also extremely misleading, as it falsely
implies that there is broad support in the northwest, or "Somaliland,"
to rescind the declaration of secession and rejoin efforts at national
reconciliation in the south. In reality Abdiraman Ahmed Ali "Tour"
repesents very few of his Isaaq clansmen and has been repeatedly and
explicitly rejected as a representative of the people of the northwest
by the "government" of Somaliland. UNOSOM is aware that Tour possesses
almost no constituency and therefore does not meaningfully represent
anyone in these meetings. Indeed, it was in part because of its
continued dealings with Tour that UNOSOM was expelled from
"Somaliland" by the Egal government in August, a serious setback that
the Seretary-General's report fails to discuss, referring only once to
the lack of any UNOSOM presence throughout northern Somalia. This
section of the report thus bears very little resemblence to political
reality in the northwest of Somalia. In this instance UNOSOM seems to
be willfully misleading the Security Council, and in the process
raising false expectations of an impending political settlement of the
northwest issue.
Furthermore, since the issuing of the September 17 report, Tour has
publicly distanced himself from this initiative and denounced the
possibilities of reaching a southern reconciliation. Therefore, the
UNOSOM initiative with Tour is no longer relevant to national
reconciliation efforts in Somalia. [/HAB/ See the "UN expelled"
section under Somaliland for the reaction of President Egal to the
SG's report.]
III. MILITARY AND SECURITY ASPECTS
[Paragraphs 17-27 review the first steps of the UNOSOM miltiary
drawdown, and comments on recent security problems, including the
attacks on UNOSOM forces at Beled Weyn (29 July) and Bale Dogle (22
August), in which a total of eight UN soldiers were killed. These
incidents are reported as follows:]
UN: "26. The most serious of the recent incidents happened in Belet
Weyne and in the Indian area of responsibility. On 29 July, in Belet
Weyne, troops of the Zimbabwean contingent were completely overrun by
a strong militia force. One UNOSOM soldier was killed and the UNOSOM
troops had to abandon all their equipment to the militia. The Indian
contingent had to face two serious incidents during the same week. On
22 August, an Indian unit escorting a supply convoy was ambushed by
armed militia near Burlego, on the Baledogle-Baidoa road. Seven Indian
soldiers were killed during this incident. On 31 August, three Indian
doctors were killed in Baidoa when a rifle grenade exploded as they
were leaving the officers' mess..."
STF: The report omits a critical aspect of these and several other
security incidents that have resulted in UNOSOM casualties - that they
were unprovoked attacks by the militia of the Habr-Gedr, the clan of
General Aideed. This fact has been a major political complication for
UNOSOM in its dealings with Aideed, and should be an important factor
in the Security Council's deliberations over UNOSOM's relationship
with the Somali faction/militia leaders and its current negotiating
strategy.
Conclusions
There is ample evidence to suggest that the September 17, 1994,
Secretary- General's report on Somalia bears little resemblence to
actual political developments on the ground. Moreover, while some of
the inaccuracies in the report are the result of changing
circumstances in the months of August and September, many appear to be
willful misreadings and misrepresentations, designed to portray the
situation in Somalia in a much more positive light than the situation
warrants.
There are a number of dangers inherent in misleading and possibly
politicized reporting within the UN. First, it is possible that the
Security Council will act on faulty information, issuing resolutions
that do not serve the best interests of either the host population (in
this case, the Somali people) or the international community. More
realistically, however, most of the Security Council members have
their own independent sources of analysis and will not be misled by
poor reporting on the part of the Secretariat. But that presents a
different kind of danger to the office of the Secretary-General -
namely, the erosion of the credibility of the institution. In the case
of Somalia, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations,
member-states, the media, and the Somali people are all well aware of
the actual political situation in Somalia. The UN only damages its own
credibility by issuing reports that distort or omit the truth.
The Somalia Task Force appeals to the office of the Secretary-General
to insure that its reporting to the Security Council, and, by
extension, the international community, reflects the highest levels of
integrity and accuracy. In particular, we appeal to the
Secretary-General's office to insure that the upcoming October 15
report on Somalia, which will contain important policy recommendations
on the future of UNOSOM, reflect a realistic assessment of the
situation in Somalia rather than the largely illusory one presented in
the September 17 report...
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT OF 14 OCT: NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
...8. During their meeting at Mogadishu on 16 September 1994, the
leader of SNA, General Aidid, informed the Under-Secretary-General
that it was now the view of SNA that the ongoing consultations within
the Hawiye clan provided a sufficient basis for the political process
in Somalia to proceed directly to the convening of the preparatory
meeting at the end of September, to be followed immediately by the
National Reconciliation Conference, which should not last more than
three weeks. General Aidid contended that that new position of SNA
made the convening of the Hawiye Reconciliation Conference
unnecessary.
9. The reactions of the leaders of the other Hawiye subclans to this
development have been mixed. Mr. Ali Mahdi, who was originally
reluctant to participate in the clan conference but was eventually
persuaded to do so, expressed his surprise. The Imam of Hirab, for his
part, wanted more time for consultations. As at the time of writing of
this report, the preparations for a Hawiye Reconciliation Conference,
of which so much had been expected, had not begun. Given the hopes
placed in the Hawiye Reconciliation Conference, the proposal to bypass
it would seem to be a negative development.
10. As for the preparatory meeting and the National Reconciliation
Conference, my Special Representative has reported that General Aidid
is insisting on convening the former himself. For their part, Mr. Ali
Mahdi and the group of 12 have insisted that invitations for both the
preparatory meeting and the National Reconciliation Conference should
be issued by my Special Representative and they have made it clear
that they would not attend any meeting convened by General Aidid.
However, as a result of extensive negotiations which Colonel Abdullahi
Yusuf Ahmed of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF) has held
with both General Aidid and Mr. Ali Mahdi, my Special Representative
has recently been informed that General Aidid has now agreed in
principle to UNOSOM issuing the invitations for the preparatory
meeting. General Aidid's decision is expected to be confirmed in
writing in the next few days. My Special Representative will continue
to extend all possible support to the efforts of the Somali parties...
SECRETARY-GENERAL RECOMMENDS EXTENSION OF MANDATE TO 31 MAR 95
15. As endorsed by the Security Council in a presidential statement of
12 August 1994, a gradual reduction of UNOSOM's strength is under way.
By the end of October 1994, its force level will have been reduced to
15,000 all ranks. The deployment and capabilities of the reduced force
will be concentrated in three major centres: Baidoa, Kismayo and
Mogadishu. It will maintain a mobile reserve unit to respond to
emergencies. In the Force Commander's judgement, the 15,000-troop
strength is the minimum viable force level for continued
implementation of the present mandate and the initiation and execution
of a safe and orderly closure of the mission if this is decided by the
Security Council.
16. With respect to security during the period of withdrawal, recent
incidents at Belet Uen and Balad, in which UNOSOM personnel were
attacked and assets looted, indicate that the withdrawal of UNOSOM
troops and assets could be difficult and dangerous in some areas. In
the worst-case scenario, UNOSOM forces would have to withdraw in face
of hostile action by Somali factions and/or widespread banditry, which
would prevent the use of commercial air and sea transport. In order to
cope with this threat, it will be necessary for Member States to
provide UNOSOM with the support required to extricate personnel and
equipment safely from Somalia... While hoping that its withdrawal can
proceed smoothly, UNOSOM must prepare for the worst-case scenario. It
is my estimation that a secure and orderly withdrawal of UNOSOM troops
and assets will require a period of between 60 and 120 days, depending
on security conditions...
22. ...The Council has already decided that the mission of UNOSOM II
should end in March 1995. If the Council maintains this decision and
all UNOSOM II forces and assets have to be withdrawn, time will be
required to ensure that the withdrawal takes place in a secure,
orderly and expeditious manner. As indicated in paragraph 16 above,
this may take as long as 120 days. It may also require extensive air
and sea support from Member States and it is important that the
availability of such support is confirmed as soon as possible. In the
light of these considerations, I recommend that the Security Council
extend the Mission's mandate until 31 March 1995...
UN CHIEF 'FAILED SOMALIA'
The United Nations' failure to restore order in Somalia was due
largely to the incompetence and arrogance of Boutros Boutros-Ghali,
the UN secretary-general, according to the former head of the UN
Somalia operation.
Mohamed Sahnoun, an Algerian diplomat, accuses Mr Boutros-Ghali of
taking actions that undermined Somali confidence in the UN, undercut
Mr Sahnoun's authority and tolerated corruption.
In his memoir Somalia: The Missed Opportunities, Mr Sahnoun also
blames the organisation's inherent weakness for its failure to bring
peace.
If Mr Sahnoun's assessment is accurate, Mr Boutros-Ghali bears
personal responsibility for much of what went wrong in Somalia and, by
extension, for the Clinton administration's disillusionment with the
UN as an instrument of multilateral peacekeeping: the Somalia
experience led it to develop guidelines restricting United States
participation in UN peacekeeping operations.
Mr Sahnoun criticised the UN performance in Somalia while he was head
of its operations there in 1992, and attributed his resignation to
"bitter experiences with the UN bureaucracy". He quit after being
reprimanded by Mr Boutros-Ghali for criticising UN agencies.
Mr Sahnoun drew praise from relief agencies for his work in Somalia.
His account is consistent with previous studies indicating that the UN
moved too slowly to head off catastrophe and took sides in the clan
conflict after assuming responsibility for the international military
operation in May 1993...
The overall problem with the UN, in his view, is that it is
ill-equipped organisationally and politically to be the engine of
peacekeeping efforts.
"The current system ... routinely reacts to crisis through
improvisation," Mr Sahnoun said. "This explains why there are so many
delays and contradictions in the UN's response to crisis."
In Somalia, many people harboured hostility toward Mr Boutros-Ghali
that predated his selection to the top UN post. As a senior official
of Egypt's foreign ministry, he supported Mohammed Siad Barre, the
Somali president whom the clan leaders fought successfully to
overthrow in the late 1980s.
Mr Sahnoun's assignment was to persuade the clan leaders to accept the
UN as mediators and win their confidence - a mission, he says,
undercut by ineptitude and misjudgement throughout the UN...
KITTANI RESPONDS TO LIPPMAN ARTICLE
Having read the article by your correspondent Thomas Lippman entitled
"U.N. Chief Faulted in Somalia Mess", I thought your readers might be
interested in a few pertinent comments from someone who succeeded Mr.
Mohamed Sahnoun as Special Representative of the Secretary-General in
Somalia.
It should be recalled that it was the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros
Boutros-Ghali, who took a very early lead in persistently drawing
attention to the tragedy of Somalia. Barely a few weeks after taking
office, he urged the international community in public and in private
to come to the aid of Somalia.
When I arrived in Mogadishu on 8 November 1992 to take over UNOSOM I,
I found the operation in a shambles:
1. The 500 Pakistani troops had arrived 2 months before in order to
secure the airport and the seaport and to escort the distribution of
humanitarian aid. Instead, they had been completely idle on the beach
and prevented from deployment;
2. The airport of Mogadishu had been closed for all traffic for over 2
months;
3. Due to banditry and obstacles at every turn, a fraction of the
humanitarian aid, so generously donated by the international
community, was reaching the people for whom it was intended;
4. No political reconciliation meeting was in sight.
When I reported these dismal conditions to the Secretary-General, he
did not hesitate to inform the Security Council and urge it to take
strong action to remedy the situation. Among the five options
presented by the Secretary-General, the Security Council choose to set
up UNITAF under U.S. command and control.
It was noteworthy that when I left Somalia in March 1993 to be
replaced by Admiral Howe:
1. The backbone of the famine had been broken due to close
coordination and cooperation between UNOSOM I and UNITAF in the
distribution of humanitarian aid;
2. As early as 4 January 1993, the first political reconciliation
conference was held under the auspices of the Secretary-General, who
personally opened the meeting in Addis Ababa. More than 14 factions
agreed to disarm and to hold another conference in March of the same
year.
Far-reaching decisions on political reconciliation and the setting up
of an interim government within 2 years were decided upon at that
conference.
As for lost opportunities, one must recall that it was the
Secretary-General who insisted in public and private from the outset
of the UNITAF operation that the disarming of the warring factions in
Somalia was a prerequisite for creating a secure environment for
rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation in Somalia. A swift
and effective disarming of the warring factions by UNITAF, which had
the means and the mandate to do so, would undoubtedly have paved the
way for an early achievement of the above goals. I am sure that this
view is shared by many members of the Security Council...
THE UN FALLS APART IN SOMALIA
MOGADISHU - ...The country has pretty well returned to the anarchy
that prompted the UN's arrival in the first place. Victor Gbeho, the
Ghanaian who now runs UNOSOM, insists that a glimmer of hope is
provided by the latest "reconciliation" conference, this one organised
by General Muhammad Farrah Aideed. The result, says Mr Gbeho, could be
a "broad-based" government. In Somali, broad-based translates as
"big-buttocked" and the supporters of Ali Mahdi Muhammad, the ruler of
north Mogadishu and the general's main rival, have vowed to kick such
a government where it hurts.
General Aideed has invited leaders from the warring clans to a meeting
at his house, rebuilt after it was bombed flat by American aircraft
last year. Mr Ali Mahdi declined, and Muhammad Egal, the president of
"Somaliland", which unilaterally seceded in 1991, was not asked.
Instead, the general has gone behind Mr Egal's back, trying to lure a
rival from exile in London.
Few people expect much from the conference. But Mr Gbeho exudes
optimism: "There is a better promise of peace than before," he says.
"I believe we will see the formation of a government inside the next
month or so, which will allow us to reduce our presence slowly and be
out by March 1995 [the original date set for the end of UNOSOM back in
1993]." His aides are more honest: "What we are really trying to do",
says one, "is to install the sort of junta that America is trying to
get rid of in Haiti, and then run like hell."
Military men echo this cynicism. Somalis, they say, are fighting to be
in the best position for looting when the time comes for the UN to go.
As the peacekeepers cut their numbers from 18,000 to 15,000, some
wonder whether they will escape Somalia with anything more than their
underwear.
Last month a Zimbabwean company of 168 men were stripped to their
briefs and robbed of their weapons, uniforms and vehicles by General
Aideed's militia, in an assault led by women and children. Apart from
the Indian contingent, which performs bravely (ten Indian peacekeepers
were killed in August), UNOSOM's military organisation is collapsing.
David Morris, who has a big catering contract with the UN in Mogadishu
and is based in the port, has twice been threatened with murder if he
did not bow to Somali demands for half of his profits - threats made
in front of two Egyptian officers. The Egyptian unit gained such a
reputation for graft at the port that it has been moved to the
airport. There, say sources in the UN's transport section, the
Egyptians look the other way, for a fee, while Somalis loot or even
steal UN vehicles. UN jeeps and minibuses sell for $3,000 to $4,000 in
the market...
** WITHDRAWAL FROM SOMALIA **
US LIAISON OFFICE RELOCATES TO NAIROBI
NAIROBI - The United States says failure by Somalia's warring clans to
bury the hatchet has hampered the work of its diplomatic staff in
Mogadishu, forcing it to relocate its liaison office there to the
Kenyan capital.
The relocation, to be carried out in September, "is a direct result of
the continuing absence of progress toward national reconciliation" in
Somalia, according to a statement issued by the U.S. state embassy
here...
More than 20 UN peacekeepers have been killed since Mar. 31 when the
United States and other Western nations pulled out most of their staff
and handed over the job of averting chaos in Somalia to a UN force
drawn from third world countries...
U.N. EVACUATES REMOTE SOMALIA OUTPOST
MOGADISHU - International aid workers and U.N. peacekeepers evacuated
a remote Somalia outpost as part of a secretive countdown for the
retreat of forces from the lawless country, U.N. sources said on
Tuesday.
Brenda Barton, spokeswoman for the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP),
said the agency had pulled two expatriate workers out of Hoddur
village on Monday because a company of Indian peacekeepers was
withdrawing from there.
"There's no question that the departure of UNOSOM, which was done at
short notice, put our people at risk," Barton told Reuters, adding
that WFP had only been told the Indians were leaving on Sunday.
Barton said the only reason why WFP had pulled out was because UNOSOM
(United Nations Operation in Somalia) troops were leaving.
U.N. sources said a force of 160 Indians had left Hoddur, on the
fringes of the zone where most of the 300,000 people who died during a
1992 famine perished.
The sources said it was part of UNOSOM plans to abandon outlying
military posts for larger garrisons this month...
Barton said that WFP would return to Hoddur when it received
assurances for the safety of foreign staff from village elders.
She added that elders had promised that a warehouse full of 900 tonnes
of food would be safe...
DJIBOUTI: UN MUST NOT ABANDON SOMALIA
Roble Olhaye of Djibouti told the General Assembly yesterday that the
prospect of a functioning civil society in Somalia was now more remote
than ever. Meaningful inter-faction talks had ceased, security had
evaporated, and the dream of national reconciliation is fading.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Opertion in Somalia (UNOSOM II) was
focusing on the process of withdrawal, with possible departure
scheduled for 31 March 1995. For too long, the United Nations had
sought voluntary disarmament, conferences on national reconciliation,
and a government elected by the people. However, the warlords wanted
the [political process] to end with them, without passing through to
the people. They wanted the United Nations to withdraw so that they
could settle scores among themselves...
Leaving Somalia with nothing in place and so many lives at risk would
be abhorrent and unacceptable--a case where a "failed State" had been
abandoned by the United Nations. Walking out on a society before
restoring it as a functioning entity would set a precedent in United
Nations history. Such an action would be far from the hopes, promises
and commitments of the Charter.
** WARLORDS AND RECONCILIATION? **
AIDEED WANTS U.N. COMPENSATION FOR DEAD
MOGADISHU - Somali warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed has demanded
compensation for his gunmen who he says were among 12,000 of his
supporters killed by U.N. forces.
In a radio broadcast from Mogadishu marking celebrations of the
birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, Aideed said on Saturday at least
12,000 of his supporters had been killed by the "foreign aggressors"
over the last three years.
He did not specify what compensation should be paid, but said the
issue would "affect the future relationship between the Somali people
and the U.N."...
UN ENVOY WARNS AGAINST FURTHER DELAY IN POLITICAL PROCESS
Addressing an international press conference after a visit to Somalia
and Rwanda, Mr Annan told journalists that Somalia will only retain
the respect of the international community after they [the Somalis]
have shown genuine interest in the country's political process.
Mr Annan, who was accompanied by the military adviser to the
secretary-general, Mr Morris Derel [phonetic], said the faction
leaders in Somalia had expressed their wish to hold a national
reconciliation conference in October but added that any delays towards
the formation of a broad-based interim government in Somalia will
result in the withdrawal of the United Nations Operation in Somalia,
Unosom, by the Security Council...
AYDID MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF "MASSACRE" BY US TROOPS
Mr Muhammad Farah Aydid, the chairman of the Somali National Alliance,
SNA, who is also the chairman of the United Somali Congress, today
attended a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the massacre of
Somali people by US-Unosom [UN Operation in Somalia] forces.
The ceremony, which was held at 1st July Square, was also attended by
Mr Ahmad Umar Jays, the chairman of the Somali Patriotic Movement; Mr
Muhammad Nur Aliyow, the chairman of the Somali Democratic Movement;
Dr Abd al-Aziz Shaykh Yusuf, of the Southern Somali National Movement;
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad, the chairman of the Somali Salvation Democratic
Front [SSDF] and leaders of the delegation of northern-based
organizations...
Speaking at the ceremony, Abdi Hasan Awaleh Qaydid, the director of
the SNA's internal affairs, said 3rd October would be remembered by
the Somali people as the day of their victory, struggle and salvation.
Mr Qaydid said the aim of the war was to recolonize Somalia. He said
that in the war 13,000 Somali nationals had been killed and 45,000
others injured.
Speaking about the purpose of their coming to Mogadishu, officials of
the northern-based organizations and the SSDF said it was important to
work towards achieving the unity of the Somali people and to form a
government based on justice. They offered condolences for those who
sacrificed their lives to save their country from the USA and
Unosom...
Speaking on behalf of the SNA and of himself, Mr Aydid congratulated
Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmad for his election as SSDF chairman. Mr Aydid
spoke at length about the massacres perpetrated by the USA and Unosom
against the Somali people, most of whom were children, women and
elderly.
Mr Aydid welcomed proposals by brother northerners to join in a
federal system with the south. He called on the UN to work towards
peace and reconciliation in the country. Finally, Mr Aydid offered his
condolences for the martyrs of the US-Unosom attacks and wished
recovery for the injured.
SOMALI WARLORD TO SHUN PEACE CONFERENCE
MOGADISHU - Somali warlord Ali Mahdi Mohamed said on Saturday he would
refuse to attend a peace conference called by his main rival, Mohamed
Farah Aideed.
Mahdi ... said the conference announced on Friday would lead the
country back to chaos.
"I will not give recognition to the meeting," Mahdi, who controls
northern Mogadishu and considers himself Somalia's president, told a
news conference.
He also hit out at U.N. special envoy Victor Gbeho, who welcomed the
Aideed conference, and accused him of "interfering in exclusively
Somali affairs."
Aideed, his Somali National Alliance and 11 allied factions called the
conference for October 27, four days before the expiry of a one-month
extension of the U.N. mandate in Somalia.
They asked the U.N. Operation in Somalia to give "financial, logistic
and other necessary support" to the Mogadishu conference and to invite
16 leaders named by them.
"We take it upon ourselves to solve all outstanding differences by
ourselves," the announcement said.
Gbeho responded by urging all Somali leaders to intensify their talks
to allow the conference to convene, a move seen by Mahdi as support
for Aideed and his allies.
"The United Nations will continue to support such efforts and will
extend all necessary assistance for the conference, which is expected
to include the representatives of all the recognised factions and to
be broad-based," Gbeho added.
The Aideed announcement, however, did not cover all factions.
It made no mention of Ali Mahdi, General Mohamed Abshir Musa and
General Mohamed Said Hersi "Morgan" and President Mohamed Ibrahim Egal
of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland in the north, which is not
internationally recognised.
As head of the United Somali Congress it listed not Ali Mahdi but
Mohamed Qanyare Afrah, who fell out with him three months ago.
SOMALI WARLORDS JOCKEYING FOR UN 'PEACE' PAYMENTS
The warlords are playing a dangerous, but lucrative, game, trying to
give the UN enough hope of a peace breakthrough so it will stay on,
while leaving room to criticise the UN efforts for angry Somalis.
Senior UN officials confirm details of payments listed in the Somalia
News Update published by Uppsala University in Sweden.
For example, an ally of Gen Aidid's from northern Somalia, Abdirahman
"Tuur", was reportedly promised $200,000 ([GBP] 129,000) for his
militia's participation in the "peace process", even though he cannot
at the moment even set foot in his homeland on account of the
political opposition, and has recently been living in exile.
The money has bought little in the way of security for UN civilian
workers or troops, who daily run a gauntlet of often hostile Somalis
who wait for their final pull-out to loot the newly-built UN compound.
Much Somali anger is the result of huge expenses that appear to
benefit no one but the UN. Last year, $166 million ([GBP] 107 million)
was spent on building and refurbishing the UN compound.
Even Somalis doubt the will of their "leaders" to find peace: "The war
depends on the warlords," said one well-educated Somali. "They are
only powerful when there is fighting.
"If there was something worthwhile keeping them apart, that would be
different. But here is a power struggle with prizes for the winner, so
this peace process is a big joke."
GENERAL AIDEED'S ETHIOPIAN FRIEND
** NORTH-EAST SOMALIA: FROM TRANQUILITY TO FIGHTING **
FOUR SOMALIS KILLED IN FACTION FIGHTING
Those killed in the clash in Bossaso on Saturday included the
Commissioner of the northeastern Gardho district, Said Mohamed Haji,
and a bodyguard of General Mohamed Abshir of the Somali Salvation
Democratic Front (SSDF).
U.N. officials said two rival wings of the SSDF were vying for control
of Bossaso, the main port of northeast Somalia, and the clash appeared
to be linked to the struggle between them.
Two rival warlords each claim to lead the SSDF.
/HAB/ See "UN and Somalia" section under Somalia for more (i.e.,
paragraph 13 of UN report).
** MORE VIOLENCE **
BOUTROS-GHALI CONDEMNS NEW RAID ON INDIAN DOCTORS
U.N. spokesman Joe Sills said the field hospital was apparently hit by
a mortar or rifle grenade, although the exact cause and the culprits
have yet to be determined.
Sills added that special U.N. envoy James Victor Gbeho has immediately
begun an investigation into the motives behind the attack on the
hospital.
In addition to condemning the attack, Boutros-Ghali asked
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Kofi Annan and U.N. Military
Adviser Gen. Maurice Baril to go to Somalia immediately to review the
situation on the ground there...
Initial U.N. investigations cast suspicion on faction leader Gen.
Mohammed Farah Aidid, a longtime U.N. opponent, for involvement in the
raid, a charge Aidid denies.
Although details of the Baidoa attack remain sketchy, the town has
repeatedly in recent months been a battleground between members of the
Aidid-led Somali National Alliance (SNA) and loyalists of Gen. Said
Hersi Morgan, a relative of ousted dictator Mohammed Siad Barre...
SWISS JOURNALIST KILLED
MOGADISHU - A Swiss journalist was killed and five other people were
injured when they got caught in crossfire between warring Somali
clans, a U.N. official said on Thursday.
Pierre Anceaux was killed on Wednesday in the southern town of Buale,
about 500 km (310 miles) from Mogadishu, U.N. military spokesman Major
Zubair Chatta told reporters.
Chatta said one expatriate and four Somalis were wounded in the same
incident. It was not clear where the dead man's remains were or where
the wounded had been taken.
He had no other details of which organisation Anceaux worked for or
what his assignment was in Buale, which has become so dangerous
because of renewed clan fighting that all aid workers were evacuated
10 days ago.
Anceaux was the seventh journalist to be killed while covering lawless
Somalia since last year.
BIG GUNS IN A SMALL TOWN
This small, riverside town of dusty streets, donkey carts, and - once
again - big guns is militarily important in Somalia.
Like a tempting plum, Belet Uen sits on the main road linking central
and northern Somalia to the Indian Ocean-side capital, Mogadishu.
Whoever controls the town can control the flow of arms into Mogadishu
from militia bases in the interior.
In late July, the man who wants to force his way into becoming
Somalia's next president, Gen. Mohamed Farah Aideed, plucked this plum
from both the dominant rival ethnic group, the Hawadley, and 169
United Nations soldiers from Zimbabwe.
People here, as in any conquered town, are afraid to speak in favor or
against the new masters - General Aideed's Somali National Alliance
(SNA). They also fear speaking out against the old masters, the
Hawadley - an ethnic group accused of lording it over residents -
because the Hawadley may regain power.
"The main problem is selfishness" on the part of both the Hawadley and
Aideed, says one cautious resident.
SNA officials see the UN presence in Somalia as useless, and justify
their presence here as one of liberating the local people.
But a resident sees the SNA presence differently: "They have captured
the city."
The SNA do not hide their real ambition. "We hope soon to have a
[national] government," says Mohamed Ahmed Muhamood, a senior SNA
official here.
Belet Uen is the latest of several towns seized in recent months by
Aideed in an ambitious attempt to claim control over enough territory
to enable him to announce a new national government.
The Hawadley and Aideed's Habar-Gedir are both subclans of the Hawiye
clan, one of the main clans or ethnic groups in Somalia. The two
groups, former allies, clashed earlier this year in southern Somalia
and then in Mogadishu.
In apparent retaliation for Hawadley advances in those places, the
H abar-Gedir seized several towns in this area, including Belet Uen.
Thousands of Hawadley have fled to the bush, where they "live a dog's
life on mountain tops and along the [Scebeli] River," according to
another local resident. "They need help," he adds. Some 20 children
among those who fled have died, he says...
Inside, Mr. Muhamood and Abdi Rizak Sheikh Ali Anooc, a SNA security
official, offer a briefing that to outsiders sounds like Orwellian
doublespeak: The SNA seized Belet Uen after a large massacre of
residents by the Hawadley, they say. But independent analysts have
heard of no such massacre.
Capture of the Zimbabwean soldiers, one of whom was killed, was done
to "save their lives," they claim. Yet diplomats say the UN soldiers
were unwilling to fight against a large show of SNA arms...
INTERCLAN FIGHTING IN MOGADISHU
Mogadishu, 1st October: New interclan fighting erupted in the Somali
capital Mogadishu [on] Saturday [1st October] between the Habar Gedir
subclan of warlord Gen Muhammad Farah Aydid and another Hawadle
subclan, the Marrusade, UN military spokesman Maj Rick McDonald said
here.
McDonald said the fighting started at 1330 (1030 gmt) around the
junction of Madina and Uganda streets, with the combatants exchanging
rocket propelled grenades and mortar fire. The fighting spread and was
still in progress in the Bermuda area of central-southern Mogadishu,
forcing residents of the area to abandon the surrounding streets, the
UN spokesman said...
** HUMANITARIAN ISSUES **
WHO: CHOLERA OUTBREAK KILLED 1,197
MOGADISHU - A cholera epidemic in Somalia is now under control after
killing 1,197 people, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report said on
Sunday.
The agency said 27,863 cases of the disease had been reported since
June.
NGOS PULL OUT
The deaths in August of a Swiss journalist in Bu'aale, seven UNOSOM
military on the road between Mogadishu and Baidoa and two Indian
military doctors in Baidoa are indications of rising tension in areas
of Somalia which had been considered relatively stable and secure...
While NGOs suspended operations for a few days in Baidoa, it has since
returned to business as usual, but for how long?
Meanwhile, in Kismayo, a number of international NGOs are ready to
withdraw following the departure of a UNOSOM military contingent which
had been providing protection to NGO and UN compounds. While
alternative protection is available, the choice is limited to guards
selected by the local militia under General Morgan, and at a price set
by them - a situation which at least two NGOs are not prepared to
accept. In Mogadishu, Swedish Church Relief withdrew on August 28 as a
result of death threats to staff.
"There is no clearcut answer to why this is happening" says Christine
Hjelt of USAID Somalia in Nairobi, "as always in Somalia it's a
complex situation", however she says "the militias are jockeying for
position with a view to claiming the assets which UNOSOM will leave
behind". Mary Hope Schwoebel, a consultant, adds that militias are
keen to "hurry UNOSOM out of the country" so that they can continue
their movements into new territory.
There has been a response to this from some UNOSOM contingents through
tightening their terms of engagement - the Indian troops in Baidoa
have now reasserted their demand that there should be no technicals
inside the town save those passing through. But still Hjelt says
"UNOSOM is pretty much powerless within an urban environment, if they
used their military strength it would be a bloodbath".
Yet there are success stories elsewhere and even in the very same
regions. Where the community believes a programme is in its interest,
commitment and co-operation are found. In the recent battle against
the menace of Quelea birds around Baidoa - which managed to destroy
some 3,000mT of crops - villagers cut roads through to the nesting
sites and guaranteed security for project workers who had to travel
and work before dawn and up to 11 at night - hours when staff would
normally be safe inside their compounds. Yet such protection was
clearly not afforded the hospital and its workers in the town...
Most people are coming round to believe that the potential short term
problems of a withdrawal are overwhelmed by the potential long term
benefits, while we stay as we are, we will be an impediment to the
healing of the social process in the country. Still", Hjelt says,
"it's very hard to disengage".
CROSS BORDER REPATRIATION OPERATIONS
On 12 August, 234 Somali refugees repatriated voluntarily from Mombasa
to areas of Bulahawa, Bardera, Garbahre and Luuq districts. The
nine-truck road convoy was given security escort by the Kenya police
up to the border town of Mandera.
After having experienced several constraints in launching a
traditional and fully organized programme of repatriation from Utange
to the Middle and Lower Juba, UNHCR has now opted for an approach
which will respect the expressed wish of the refugees to return home
in safety and with dignity while preserving UNHCR necessary political
neutrality and the aim for equity and fairness in any of its
transactions. Final arrangements are being made for this new approach
to start in the near future in order to respond to the strong wish to
return expressed by the refugees.
UNOSOM gave a negative reply to a request made by UNHCR to utilize
UNOSOM flights to repatriate some 100 urban refugees from Nairobi to
Galcayo. These refugees have expressed a wish to return home.
Implementation of 44 Quick Impact Projects funded by UNHCR continued
during the month in the areas of Buaale, Sacoweyn, Kismayo and Afmadu,
eight additional QIPs were approved, 5 in Buaale and 3 in Kismayo.
ZIMBABWE TEACHES DE-MINING
The Zimbabwean firm Mine-Tech has won a United Nations-financed
contract to set up a school in Somalia to train de-miners. Mine-Tech
director colonel Lionel Dyke did not say how much the contract will be
worth but the entire project has been estimated at about US$ 2
million. Mine-Tech was bidding against eleven other competitors in a
contract which provides for setting up a de-mining school in
Mogadiscio and deploying two mobile schools to supervise de-mining
operations in the country, where there are an estimated one million
landmines. The school will train engineers, supervisors, medical
personnel, and more instructors for a year, with the possibility of
renewing for another year. After that, the Somalis should be able to
take over. Mine-Tech is currently clearing mines in Mozambique and
according to colonel Dyke, is also bidding for another contract in
Somalia to train security guards for service in Somali harbours
(body-guards, convoys, and sensitive installations)...
"MANY SOMALIS" SAY BRITAIN IS OVERREACTING TO TRADE IN QAT
British authorities have expressed fear that profits obtained from
qat, locally known as miraa, a drug making big business among the
country's 20,000 Somali community, may be helping to fuel the civil
war in Somalia. The authorities have also taken a keen interest in an
American report which linked qat-chewing Somali militiamen to violence
in Mogadishu.
However, many Somalis challenge the assertion from the authorities
that qat is harmful. They believe that the British are overreacting to
a plant largely seen as part of traditional Somali culture. They have
also dismissed the issue as an American way of justifying the failure
of Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
Figures obtained from the Somali community, the report adds, show that
seven tonnes of qat arrive at London's Heathrow Airport each week.
Part of the consignment is put on sale in Britain, while the rest is
sent out to other major European capitals, including Italy, where
there is a sizeable Somali community.
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** S O M A L I L A N D **
** UN EXPELLED **
UN REPRESENTATIVES EXPELLED FOR "INTERFERING"
Nairobi, 22nd August: Representatives of the United Nations have been
expelled from Somaliland following accusations that they had been
interfering in the internal affairs of [the] self-declared republic,
the president's office said in a statement...
/HAB/ See HAB 3/94, "Debate over secession" section under Somaliland.
EGAL SENDS LETTER TO SECURITY COUNCIL, INVITES MEMBERS TO VISIT
[Letter from Mohamed Ibrahim Egal to the UN Secretary-General and all
members of the Security Council]
Your Excellencies:
I have with me the Secretary-General's report to the Security Council
of the 17th September, 1994. Since this present letter to the Security
Council is my 8th unanswered message to the Council, I do not
entertain any hope that my message would either carry weight in the
rarefied exalted chamber of the Council, or receive an audience with
any of its illustrious members. But since it is the faith of humanity
that this Council, be what it may, is the nominal guardians as well as
the architects of the new world order, we are condemned to cry or
shout in the wilderness of your jurisdiction.
This document, the 17th September, 1994 Report of the Secretary
General on Somalia, is mostly a fabrication concocted in the
Secretariat in New York. If the Security Council is really and truly
interested in the facts and realities of what is happening in
Mogadishu, they should read the pages of the independent Electronic
Newspaper produced in Uppsala, Sweden, Somalia News Update edition of
the 14 September, 1994...
In paragraph 14 Mr. Abdirahman A. Ali "TOUR" was projected to the
Council as the Chairman of the Northern faction of the SNM. This
gentleman, after a disastrous term of office as the President of the
Republic of Somaliland was rejected and ignominiously turned out of
office by the electoral college of the National Council of Elders
convened in Borama and he had then retired, in shame, to an exile in
England where the amanuenses of the Secretary-General recruited him
and turned him into a turncoat and an instrument for their political
designs.
The Security Council is not informed of the pertinent fact that with
the exception of General Aideed's SNA, the factions in Mogadishu have
rejected him as a participant in their deliberations. And yet the
report to the Security Council paints him as a prominent arbiter who
is reconciling the factions in the south. What is even a worse
fabrication is the statement in the Report that Mr. Abdirahman TOUR
and his associates are the "North-West-based-factions". That is a
deliberate deception of the Security Council because these factions
have neither a base nor a foothold in Somaliland.
I will confine my commentary on UNOSOM's activities in Mogadishu to
that brief commentary out of deference to the Council and in fear of
the inevitable loyalties of its members to their Secretary-General...
As regards my own constituency, the Republic of Somaliland, the
Secretary-General in all his reports has persisted, quite
inexplicably, in ignoring the existence and the secession of this
Nation and of its reconstitution as a republic separate from
Somalia...
[After] the defeat of the dictator in 1991, Somaliland was able to
conquer the ensuing anarchy and had almost immediately established
peace and stability while Somalia sank further and further into chaos,
anarchy and bloodshed. This made it an imperative necessity of
self-interest for Somaliland to separate itself from the unfortunate
plight of their southern brethren.
Had we failed to do that we would have been today, as they are
themselves, under the control of vicious war-lords. The
Secretary-General's manipulation of the situation in Somalia is now
clearly leading us to such an impasse.
The thrust of UNOSOM's policies in Somalia is to bamboozle the
Security Council into accepting a fictitious scenario whose aim is to
construct a house of cards in Mogadishu and sell it as an effective
national government. I am not an advocate for the unfortunate Somali
people of the south, whom a cruel fate has put their destiny in the
hands of men who neither care nor know what they are doing. I speak
for the Republic of Somaliland and I declare with all the emphasis I
am capable of that we will not allow our fate and our future to be put
into the hands of megalomaniacal war-lords, the most prominent of whom
has only recently had a Security Council price on his head. If [the]
Secretary-General is allowed by the Council to fulfil his designs in
Somalia, I shall be forced to immediately reverse the process of
disarmament and hand over authority to military men to protect the
interest of this nation. We are a peaceful, law-abiding nation willing
to accept the authority of the Security Council and live in peace with
the international community. Every measure or action that has emanated
from the UN and its Secretary-General has been calculated to undermine
our stability and to deny our existence. For some reason unknown to us
the UN authority and power are being used repeatedly to alienate us
from the international community. This is all the more inexplicable
since it is emanating from a man who gave to his special
representative on the 1st of October, 1993 the following instructions,
and I quote, "...with respect to UNOSOM's relations with Mr. Egal and
the north-west, we urge the greatest sensitivity. It was not the
intention of the Security Council resolution No. 814 to interfere in
any way in the political arrangements in the north-west... It is the
firm belief of the UN that political differences must be resolved by
the Somali people themselves."
Even before the ink was dry on that noble undertaking, the
Secretary-General's amanuenses in the field were interfering in the
political arrangements in the north-west. and, while denying the
existence of the elected representatives of the people, were aiding
and abetting shadowy figures in Mogadishu as the representatives of
the north-west. We have now come to the end of our forbearance and
unless the Security Council takes our demarches seriously, we shall
have to make appropriate arrangements for the protection of this
nation. Our objection is to the granting of sovereignty over our state
to a cabal of war-lords. If the Security Council recognized a Central
Government or a sovereign Transitional Council in Mogadishu before a
resolution of the Somaliland question is arrived at, then a state of
war between Somaliland and Somalia would be made inevitable. To
forestall such an eventuality, we invite the Security Council to send
some of its members to the area to ascertain facts and acquire
first-hand knowledge and information about a tragedy which is now
brewing because of UNOSOM atrophied role except the dubious role of
dispensing political funds to sponsor short-term schemes as well as
unworthy individuals. All we ask is to be left alone to sort out our
own affairs as almost every Security Council resolution has
consistently urged.
I have the honour to remain, Your Obedient Servant
(Signed) Mohamed Ibrahim Egal
** PROBLEMS AT AIRPORT **
HARGEISA AIRPORT CLOSED FOR SECURITY REASONS
A statement issued today by the presidency of the Republic of
Somaliland in Hargeisa says that all flights to Hargeisa have been
stopped with effect from today, Saturday 27th August, for security
re asons.
However, the statement adds that aircraft can use Berbera airport, 150
km from Hargeisa, Borama airport, 120 km from Hargeisa and Kala Baydh
airport, 70 km from Hargeisa. The statement also says that any
aircraft which defy these directives and land at Hargeisa airport will
be responsible for the consequences and the government of the Republic
of Somaliland will not help.
MILITIA FIGHTING IN HARGEISA "DISLODGED" BY SECURITY FORCES
Nairobi: Tribal militiamen battling Somaliland security forces in the
territory's capital Hargeisa have been dislodged after a day of
fighting, the president of the self-proclaimed independent republic,
Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, said [on] Sunday [16th October].
In a telephone conversation with AFP from his residence in Hargeisa,
Egal said the militias had initially occupied the trunk road to the
Indian Ocean port of Berbera and the airport. After security forces
chased them out of the area on Saturday, they started shelling the
city with artillery, Egal added.
He said the 300-strong militia forces were armed with some half a
dozen armoured cars, nicknamed "Technicals", one of which was captured
and its four occupants killed, but could not confirm if there were
other casualties in the conflict.
The Somaliland leader... said that by 9.00 a.m. (0600 gmt) on Sunday,
the road and the airport had been cleared of the tribal militias. "I
have today removed the last obstacle to Somaliland's destiny," Egal
declared. He stated that the insecurity caused by the tribal militias
in Somalia's former northern region, which declared itself the
independent Republic of Somaliland after the overthrow of dictator
Muhammad Siyad Barreh in January 1991, had been used by the UN
Operation in Somalia (Unosom) to deny it international recognition.
Asked whether he would attend the Somali reconciliation conference
scheduled for the Somali capital Mogadishu on 27th October, if
invited, Egal declared that "Somaliland seceded from the rest of
Somalia three years ago and will never have anything to do with what
is happening in Mogadishu."...
** FOREIGN RELATIONS **
PRESIDENT VISITS EGYPT
The president of the Republic of Somaliland and the high-powered
delegation he is leading on an official visit to Egypt are due to
leave for Alexandria for a two-day visit, during which he will be
received by the Egyptian president, Mr Muhammad Husni Mubarak. The
president of the Republic of Somaliland was yesterday received by the
Egyptian foreign minister and the minister of state at the Presidency
in charge of foreign affairs...
ARAB LEAGUE RULES OUT RECOGNIZING REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND
Cairo: Mr Muhammad Ibrahim Egal, president of the so-called Republic
of Somaliland, has met Ambassador Ahmad Bin Hala, head of the Arab
League's Arab Department.
During the meeting, they had a detailed discussion of topics that the
Somali delegation had presented to Arab League Secretary-General Dr
Ismat Abd al-Majid during his meeting with the delegation at the Arab
League's headquarters yesterday. Ibrahim Egal stated that the citizens
of northern Somalia were true Arabs, that they had suffered from not
being appointed to key official positions since Somalia gained its
independence from British colonialism and that their role in
government was being marginalized. He said that he informed Dr Ismat
Abd al-Majid of the stable situation in the north and that
politicians, intellectuals and tribal leaders had unanimously agreed
to set up an independent state.
For his part, Ambassador Hala said that the Somali delegation had
renewed its demand that the Arab League recognize the Republic of
Somaliland and provide humanitarian aid and services to enable it to
build its state structures. He added that the delegation raised the
issue of the Arab countries' disregard for the Republic of Somaliland
and the isolation it was suffering as a result. The director of the
Arab League's Arab Department said that Dr Ismat Abd al-Majid had
affirmed to the Somali delegation the Arab League's commitment to
Somalia's unity and the need to restore security and stability for all
its sons.
The Arab League secretary-general also ruled out the idea of
recognizing the Somaliland state, demanding that the security and
stability in the north be used to serve the building of a united
Somali state and for Somali reconciliation. Dr Abd al-Majid told the
Somali delegation that the Arab League placed the problem of Somalia
high on its list of interests. In addition, the Arab League had worked
politically to resolve this crisis and participated in providing it
with 100m dollars in humanitarian aid from Arab countries.
Dr Abd al-Majid criticized the change in Mr Egal's stance on Somali
unity. He pointed out that Egal had been the main organizer of the
national unity conference held in Jibuti in 1991. In addition, Abd
al-Majid also denounced Egal's current stance of insisting on
secession...
SOMALILAND REOPENS BORDER POST WITH JIBUTI, APPROVES NEW CURRENCY
The ordinary session of the Somaliland parliament under the
chairmanship of the president, Mr Muhammad Haji Ibrahim Egal, met
today at the Presidency in Hargeisa. In today's session the deputies
resolved that the Loyada customs border post [between Somaliland and
Jibuti] be re-established since the border between the two countries
has reopened. The session therefore directed the Ministry of Home
Affairs and the Customs Department to implement the directive with
immediate effect.
The session also debated the introduction of the new currency which
was endorsed in yesterday's session. It also approved the preparation
of the government budget for the months of October and December of
this year. The session delegated a parliamentary committee and
officials of the central bank to come out with a clear document on the
introduction of the new currency and a period of grace for the old
currency. The government said the proper procedure should be worked
out on the introduction of the new currency and the recalling of the
old one. The minister of finance has been directed to ensure that all
the resolutions regarding the new currency and customs matters are
implemented accordingly and to prepare the new budget within 14 days.
The Horn of Africa Bulletin, Vol. 6 No. 5 (Sep-Oct 94)
** S U D A N **
** WAR AND PEACE TALKS **
EMBATTLED SUDANESE REBELS AWAIT GOVERNMENT PUSH
NIMULE, Sudan - Southern Sudanese rebels... are braced for a fresh
government offensive on their last strongholds after the collapse of
peace talks in Nairobi last week.
"Our forces are on maximum alert, we are expecting an attack at any
time," Kuol Manyang, commander of rebel forces around Nimule, their
main base a few dozen km (miles) from the Ugandan border, told
Reuters.
The forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) were
sandwiched into a small strip of land running along the Kenyan and
Ugandan borders after a string of government victories in March and
April this year.
They now face Khartoum's army across the waters of a swollen Nile at
Aswa, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Nimule.
A military barge convoy of some six steamers was beaten back by the
rebels a few weeks ago, but Khartoum is believed to have reinforced
its forces by air from the southern capital of Juba.
"The rebels blew the last bridge when they retreated. We expect a push
as soon as the water level goes down sometime in the coming weeks,"
said Todd Cornett of Catholic Relief Services - one of only two aid
organisations still working in the area...
Aid workers say the government push will trigger a new humanitarian
crisis as thousands of homeless pack their goods once more and flee
the fighting...
"People are very nervous, particularly when they see the aid
organisations scaling down their presence," said Marion Casey, an
Irish nurse with Norwegian People's Aid which runs a makeshift
hospital outside Nimule...
Most worrying for aid workers has been the resurgence of a bizarre
Ugandan rebel group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which
attacks all aid convoys destined for south Sudan and have effectively
cut the land supply route...
Two months ago the LRA, supported largely by Acholi tribesmen who
straddle the border, killed three U.N. drivers. In recent weeks it has
killed as many as 18 civilians in landmine attacks on the main road to
Sudan.
Khartoum denies aiding the LRA - which professes to want to rule in
strict accordance with the Ten Commandments - but several independent
sources say they believe they are receiving weapons through one of the
government's proxies in the region.
They say the attacks began after the government took the town of Torit
in the last offensive. Torit is surrounded by fighters loyal to
Willian Nyon, one of the defectors from the mainstream SPLA.
U.N. officials say there is little hope the fighting would end even if
the government overran the SPLA's last holdouts.
"The SPLA will just melt into the bush and revert to guerrilla tactics
at which they are good. There is no end in sight, just more suffering
for the people," said one U.N. source.
PEACE IS UP A GUMTREE
Kenyan head of state Daniel arap Moi vainly tried this week to get
current peace talks on southern Sudan out of the dead-end they have
been in since the collapse of the fourth meeting of delegates last
week in Nairobi (ION No 638). Moi met with Hassan al-Tourabi, leader
of Sudan's National Islamic Front, in Kenya on September 17, and the
following day, Sudanese head of state Omar Hassan al-Bechir was in
Nairobi for the September 19 meeting of heads of state from four of
the region's countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda) who are
trying to arbitrate the southern Sudan conflict.
Although president Moi tried to get delegates' positions closer at the
meeting, his Kenyan opposite number Yoweri Museveni took a much harder
stance vis a vis Sudan's president. He openly threatened to head a
diplomatic crusade in calling for sanctions against Sudan if Khartoum
failed to find an understanding with the southern rebels. President
al-Bechir, followed apparently by the NIF leader, dug his heels in on
the position the Sudanese delegation took at the fourth meeting: a
flat refusal of any self-determination for southern Sudan and of any
separation of state and religion. As soon as he got back to his
capital on September 21, general al-Bechir contested president
Museveni's right to be a mediator in the conflict.
PRESIDENTS SAY SUDAN PEACE INITIATIVE TO CONTINUE
NAIROBI - The presidents of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea have
agreed to continue their campaign to negotiate an end to Khartoum's
11-year-old war with rebels in southern Sudan.
In a statement on Monday night after talks in Nairobi, they noted the
Sudan peace talks were deadlocked over the questions of self
determination and the relationship between the state and religion.
But they said the peace initiative begun last year under the auspices
of the regional Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and
Development (IGADD) should continue.
"The heads of state consider the declaration of principles agreed to
during the talks as being a valid basis for the talks to continue,"
the four presidents said.
"The heads of state will seek collective and appropriate means to
reinforce the ongoing IGADD initiative with a view to reaching a final
settlement of the problem," the brief statement concluded.
It gave no date for talks to resume between the Sudanese government
and rival wings of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which
has been fighting Khartoum's forces in the south since 1983...
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
[The following is the Declaration of Principles which the IGADD
Standing Committee on Peace in Sudan issued as the basis for resolving
the conflict in Sudan. On September 19, the IGADD presidents declared
the Declaration of Principles to be "a valid basis for the talks to
continue".]
We, Representatives of the Government of the Republic of Sudan
(hereinafter referred to as the GOS) the Sudan Peoples' Liberation
Movement/Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army and the Sudan Peoples'
Liberation Movement/Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army - United
(hereinafter referred to as the SPLM/SPLA and SPLM/SPLA-United
respectively);
Recalling the previous peace talks between the Government of the Sudan
on the one hand, the SPLM/SPLA and SPLM/SPLA-United on the other,
namely Addis Ababa in August 1989, Nairobi in December 1989, Abuja in
May/July 1992, Abuja in April/May 1993, Nairobi in May 1993, and
Frankfurt in January 1992;
Cognisant of the importance of the unique opportunity afforded by the
IGADD Peace Initiative to reach a negotiated peaceful solution to the
conflict in the Sudan;
Concerned by the continued human suffering and misery in the war
affected areas;
Hereby agree in the following Declaration of Principle (DOP) that
would consititute the basis for resolving the conflict in the Sudan:-
1. Any comprehensive resolution of the Sudan conflict requires that
all parties to the conflict fully accept and commit themselves to that
position...
1.1 The history and nature of the Sudan conflict demonstrate that a
military solution can not bring lasting peace and stability to the
country.
1.2 A peaceful and just political solution must be the common
objective of the parties to the conflict.
2. The right of self-determinaiton of the people of South Sudan to
determine their future status through a referendum must be affirmed.
3. Maintaining unity of the Sudan must be given priority by all the
parties provided that the following principles are established in the
political, legal, economic and social framework of the country.
3.1 Sudan is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and
multi-cultural society. Full recognition and accommodation of these
diversities must be affirmed.
3.2 Complete political and social equalities of all peoples in the
Sudan must be guaranteed by law.
3.3 Extensive rights of self-administration on the basis of
federation, autonomy, etc., to the various peoples of the Sudan must
be affirmed.
3.4 A secular and democratic state must be established in the Sudan.
Freedom of belief and worship and religious practice shall be
guaranteed in full to all Sudanese citizens. State and religion shall
be separated. The basis of personal and family laws can be religion
and customs.
3.5 Appropriate and fair sharing of wealth among the various people of
the Sudan must be realized.
3.6 Human rights as internationally recognized shall form part and
parcel of this arrangement and shall be embodied in Constitution.
3.7 The Independence of the Judiciary shall be enshrined in the
Constitution and laws of the Sudan.
4. In the absence of agreement on the above principles referred to in
3.1 to 3.7 the respective people will have the option to determining
their future including independence, through a referendum.
5. An interim arrangement shall be agreed upon, the duration and the
tasks of which should be negotiated by the parties.
6. The parties shall negotiate a ceasefire agreement to enter into
force as part of the overall settlement of the conflict in the Sudan.
Nairobi, 20th July 1994.
THE NEXT PHASE FOR IGADD: INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON KHARTOUM
Now that the leaders of the four countries of the Intergovernmental
Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD) have resolved to press
ahead with the search for peace in Sudan, the international community
should give them all the political, as well as the material backing
they need to succeed in their noble mission. The mediation process
undertaken by IGADD came to an inconclusive end in Nairobi on 8
September when the Khartoum regime refused to discuss either of the
principle issues on the agenda, namely, Self-determination and a
secular democratic state...
The IGADD mediators had requested in July that all parties return in
September with clear cut policy positions on the principles at stake.
Khartoum's answers were both frank and honest and provided the
clarification which the IGADD mediators were looking for. The IGADD
leaders have nonetheless wisely voted to stay the course and pursue
the quest for peace in Sudan...
The four countries making up the mediation team are clear in their
minds that the quest for peace in Sudan is as much in their own
interests as it is for the Sudanese.
The conflict in the South has led to large numbers of refugees
entering the IGADD countries. They cannot afford to support such a
large influx of destitute people. War in Sudan also affects the
socio-economic development of these countries. In addition, Khartoum
has used the conflict as a pretext for interfering in the internal
affairs of these neighbouring countries. There are several reasons,
therefore, why peace in Sudan is very much in the interest of the
region as a whole...
Now that Khartoum has felt the seriousness of the process and wants to
find alternative, softer mediators, the international community must
stand firm and rebuff any such approaches.
Furthermore, the Khartoum regime should be isolated further, as long
as it refuses to co-operate with the IGADD mediators. Practical steps
should be taken to enforce this isolation, perhaps including an arms
embargo, which would certainly hinder Khartoum's ability to pursue the
war option. Only by denying the regime the resources and publicity it
desires can the international community force Khartoum to co-operate
with IGADD.
BASHIR SAYS KHARTOUM WILL "LIBERATE" THE SOUTH
Khartoum: The Sudanese government is to "liberate" from the Sudan
People's Liberation Army (SPLA) all areas of the country still
controlled by the rebel force, head of state Umar al-Bashir said here
[on] Thursday [29th September]. He billed the offensive as part of a
two-pronged strategy of fighting and negotiating to end 11 years of
civil war...
Official media here quoted Bashir as saying that "the government will
adopt a strategy to liberate regions under SPLA control while pursuing
efforts to negotiate" with the rebels to end the war in the Christian
and animist south...
BASHIR SETS UP COUNCIL FOR PEACE TO SUPERVISE THE PEACE PROCESS
Lt-Gen Umar al-Bashir, the president of the republic, has issued a
republican decree establishing a Supreme Council for Peace under his
excellency's [Bashir's] chairmanship. Members of the council will be
George Kongor Arop, the vice-president of the republic; Mr Muhammad
Amin Khalifah, the speaker of the Transitional National Assembly; and
85 people including politicians, ministers, independent personalities,
leaders of people's committees in the states and religious leaders.
The council's task will be to participate in supporting the unity of
the country, its security and stability, to protect its borders,
consolidate the bond of brotherhood and cooperation with its
neighbours, supervise the peace process in the country, deepen its
meaning thus (?strengthening) tolerance and brotherhood, and direct
people's efforts and resources to the cause of peace and stability in
the country, and to work towards ending the war and removing reasons
for its renewal... Mr (?Ngor) Deng has been appointed
secretary-general of the council.
TEHRAN RADIO COMMENTS ON MEDIATORS' "LACK OF NEUTRALITY"
...The latest round of talks failed, more than anything, because of
the lack of neutrality on the part of the mediators and their overt
support for the demands and stances of the rebels. It was not
unexpected that with the failure of the political efforts, the
Sudanese leadership, which considers solving the dispute in the south
as its main priority and the country's urgent need, should again
resort to the military solution.
The call to the people to participate actively in this regard
indicates the categorical determination of the Sudanese government to
decide the issue finally with war and return peace and stability to
the country.
In view of the great victories that the Sudanese armed forces achieved
in the past year and the presence of differences and a weakening of
morale among the rebels, it appears that, militarily, Khartoum can
achieve its objectives. This is based on the condition that it can
stand steadfast in the face of the political pressure of the Western
and regional supporters of the SPLA...
KHARTOUM STARTS MILITARY PREPARATIONS
The approaching dry season in Sudan means that Khartoum is once again
making military preparations to attack the Sudanese Peoples's
Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels in southern Sudan. A large government
convoy got under way from Kosti by river for Juba, taking
reinforcements for that garrison in heavy equipment. Attacked by
mortar fire from the riverbank by colonel John Garang's SPLA in the
Jonglei region, the government units managed to force a passage.
Government reinforcements have also been flown out to Juba and Wau.
Some sources report that thanks to intervention by the French
government, Khartoum has been authorized to set up a military base
inside northern Zaire, at Isirio, which the Sudanese army will now use
to attack Equatoria Occidental province, the last bastion of colonel
Garang. Aerial satellite photographs which France has supplied to
Sudan could be used by Sudanese troops to pin-point their ground
positions in the thick northern Zaire bush and avoid getting lost, a
misadventure they suffered in 1993. Khartoum also intends to make good
use of dissident SPLA members: Willian Nyuon Bany, the SPLA dissident
in Equatoria Orientale, could coordinate his attacks in the Imatong
region with Juba-based government operations. Colonel Kerubino Kwanyin
Bol is expected to do the same in the Abyei region, in liaison with
regular army units from Wau. Contrary to the last two years, Khartoum
is thought to have received no external financial aid for the new
offensive. On the other hand, according to an Arab diplomatic source,
Israel has resumed sending military supplies to SPLA via Uganda.
SPLA-UNITED CHANGES NAME
NAIROBI - A breakaway southern Sudanese rebel faction, headed by
Commander Riak Machar, has changed its name to comform with the
movement's objective to fight for self-determination for the
war-ravaged region.
Commander Simon Mori Didimo told journalists here on Thursday that the
name change from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA-United) to
the South Sudan Independence Army (SSIA) was taken at a convention
held in southern Sudan this week.
"The objective is now to establish a free, independent, and sovereign
state of south Sudan", he explained...
AN APPEAL FOR UN INTERVENTION
[The following excerpts are from a letter to UN Secretary-General
Boutrus Boutrus Ghali from the Southern Sudanese Community in America]
...We, the members of the Southern Sudanese Community in America
hereby submit to you, for the third time, this petition concerning the
heinous atrocities waged by the present Islamic Fundamentalist regime
in Sudan against our people in Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains, and
Southern Blue Nile Province. We know, based on the extensive reports
issued by your esteemed agencies and many other organizations, that
you are fully aware of the scale and magnitude of the tragedy in
Sudan. We also acknowledge and appreciate the attention that the
United Nations has paid to this issue, as evidenced by the previous
resolutions of the U.N. General Assembly condemning the current
Government of Sudan, and by your appointment of Special Envoys to
Sudan within the last two years. What is unfathomable to us is that
despite your own knowledge and awareness of the escalation of
atrocities in Sudan, the United Nations has failed to take the next
step and institute more vigourous and decisive actions to head off the
extermination of the Africans in Sudan by the Islamic Fundamentalist
regime. Yet, you have spoken out zealously and intervened forthrightly
to save terrorized civilians in countries, such as Iraq,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Somalia, Haiti, and Rwanda, among others. We
wonder what else has to happen in order to sensitize the community of
nations to the plight of the Africans in Sudan...
Specifically, we are appealing to the United Nations to:
1. authorize member states to impose economic and military embargo
against Sudan;
2(a). establish effective safe havens and no-fly zones in civilian
territories in Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains, and Southern Blue
Nile;
(b). sponsor and organize the return of displaced Southern Sudanese in
Northern Sudan to safe havens in Southern sudan, Nuba Mountains, and
Southern Blue Nile;
(c). provide security to international organizaitons, including
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) so that they can deliver
urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the civilians trapped in
the war zones in Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue
Nile Province;
3(a).create and enforce a United Nations Anti-Slavery Demarcation line
and deploy a multinational Anti-Slavery Force along the border between
Arab territories and African territories in Sudan;
(b).establish an anti-slavery organ for tracing African Sudanese taken
into slavery both in Sudan, Libya, and other Arab countries;
(c). bring the perpetrators of slavery and genocide to justice by
trying them for crimes against humanity;
4(a). call for, monitor and enforce a comprehensive cease-fire between
the Government forces and all factions of the Sudan People's
Liberation Army (SPLA);
(b). Organize and convene a comprehensive peace conference on Sudan
which recognizes the fundamental right to self-determination for the
people of Southern Sudan, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile
Province, a right that is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights;
5. urge the Egyptian Government to allow displaced African Sudanese
currently trapped in Egypt to seek sanctuary in countries that are
willing to grant them political asylum...
** NUER RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE **
REPORT ON JIKANY/LOU RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE
A Reconciliation Conference is being held in Akobo, Sudan from early
September, 1994...
1) The Jikany and the Lou represent the two largest Nuer clans on the
east side of the Nile. The Lou traditionally have occupied the belt
between Kongor and Akobo including the Ayod, Waat and Yuai areas. The
Jikany are located along the Sobat River including Ulang, Nasir,
Chotbura, Jekou, and Maiwut. The clans extend across the Pibor and
Akobo Rivers into Ethiopia. The Lou have had their rainy season
grazing areas and permanent villages in the area where there is no
river. But from December through May they have traditionally come to
the Jikany area along the Sobat to graze and fish during the dry
season.
2) Disputes between the two groups have always been there, but have
intensified in the last two years which has resulted in over a
thousand deaths of civilians including many women and children. Homes
have been burned in addition to the normal cattle raiding. These
represent new dimensions to traditional conflicts...
4) Tension over fishing and grazing areas burst out in 1993 with
lynchings and murders due to the large numbers of guns now interjected
into the fighting, formerly carried out with spears...
5) The SPLA leadership tried to reconcile the clans in 1993, but the
process was sabotaged and some important people were not present.
6) Early in 1994 a real full scale fight broke out along the Sobat and
Pibor Rivers and in the toich. Some chiefs fought with guns and others
failed to control their people...
8) The bulk of the SPLA soldiers in the area are from the Lou and
Jikany clans, and it has been discovered that they have supported
their own clan with arms. Thus the SPLA soldiers have become involved
in the fighting rather then stepping in to stop it. This makes the
whole situation much more complex.
9) The fighting has also taken place on the Ethiopian side and as a
result the Ethiopian army has also been involved.
10) The present reconciliation process has been organized under the
combined leadership of the SPLA, the chiefs, and the Presbyterian
Church. The conference is to find out the causes of the conflict, both
generally and specifically and to find a reconciliation...
The Reconciliation Conference has been set up using a variety of means
to promote information collection. These include ad hoc committees,
the traditional Nuer court style of working, a conference setting
where anyone can ask questions from the floor, and technical
committees which can bring recommendations.
Chiefs from the Bentiu area were present to function as the court of
chiefs who would hear the case and manage the process of
reconciliation in the traditional ways. Malwal Wun, an elder drawing
on his 44 years as a chief, was in charge of the conference.
Some issues that arose from the pre-conference committees are:
* Social institutions have broken down since 1983.
* There is no longer respect for indigenous institutions or religious
institutions. This is a result of the Marxist influence from Ethiopia,
and has been solidifying for 11 years now. It will not be easily
fixed.
* Some chiefs have fought with guns and some have failed to control
their people.
* How will people now relate to the military?
* The system of the chiefs needs to be strengthened so problems can be
resolved locally.
** VISITING THE NUBAS **
THE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE TIME FORGOT
...Photographer Jack Picone and I had both travelled before in
southern Sudan, covering the rebels' struggle for survival against
government forces. But we had repeatedly failed to find a way into the
Nuba Mountains, which lie deep within the war-torn interior of one of
the world's most inaccessible regions.
For more than a decade, only a few outsiders have been allowed into
the mountains by Khartoum, and those visits have been on its terms
only. The only access now is across rebel territory but, with the
government in control of the South's main towns, security cannot be
guaranteed...
This summer we eventually secured a promise from Youssef Kuwa, the
SPLA commander for the Nuba Mountains. There are no safe airstrips in
the mountains but if we could find our way to the lowland hamlet of
Periang, 500 miles northwest of the Kenyan border, an SPLA escort
would try to take us in on foot...
With the advent of each new dry season, government troops and locally
recruited tribal militias advance into the countryside, burning
villages. Whole communities are displaced and crops abandoned. No one
knows how many hundreds of thousands have died from fighting, famine
and disease.
The conflict spread to the Nuba Mountains with the infiltration of the
region by the SPLA in 1985 and the establishment in 1987 of a Nuba
SPLA battalion. Khartoum's increasing control of the Nuba was
intensified in 1989.
The Nuba Mountains - 30,000 square miles of emerald hills, craggy
massifs and fertile valleys - are home to more than a million people
who practise a mixture of Christianity, Islam and traditional beliefs,
and speak more than 50 dialects from 10 language groups. Little is
known about the origins of these farmers and herders except that they
are indigenous to Sudan and migrated here many centuries ago with the
onset of Arab expansion into the interior.
The echo of automatic gunfire and the explosion of mortar rounds
became familiar accompaniments during the latter stages of our
100-mile route into the mountains.
The Nuba village where we spent our first night was attacked soon
after our visit. In a makeshift clinic we were shown a middle-aged man
who had been shot through both legs while trying to protect his
cattle. His thigh bone was shattered and he seemed to be in great
pain, but there were no drugs for his treatment. His leg would be set
by the local witch doctor.
We saw countless villages which had been razed by marauding government
soldiers and Arab militias earlier in the year.
The family of Zacharia Kuku had suffered an all-too-typical fate when
their homestead was attacked early one March morning. Two of six
children had been captured; a third, an unsmiling little boy, was
permanently disabled after a vicious beating by soldiers who had left
him for dead. They had lost their cattle and were having a hard time
scratching a living from their stone-walled plot of land.
This is harvest time in the Nuba Mountains and the people did not want
for food. What they desperately lack, however, are medicines and
clothing: they go naked or in rags. The UN says no aid agency has been
here in more than a decade. There are no hospitals and no doctors...
Physically unable to retrace our steps through the mountains and
swamps, we solicited rebel help to carve an airstrip out of a piece of
flat bushland in the hills. We sent a coded message by hand-cranked
radio to northern Kenya and SPLA security clearance was eventually
secured. We lit fires to show our position and an aircraft flew in to
take us out.
It was, said the Canadian former fighter pilot, 'the hairiest landing'
he had ever made. Perhaps some enterprising aid agency can use this
airstrip to deliver the medicines so urgently needed by the Nuba.
** TERRORISM **
U.S. SAYS SUDAN REJECTS TERRORISM EVIDENCE
WASHINGTON - The United States Thursday faulted Sudan for "rejecting
out of hand" evidence provided by Washington on terrorist activities
in Sudan and said this raises doubts about Khartoum's willingness to
discuss the issue seriously.
State Department Mike McCurry said the information was shared because
Khartoum has "repeatedly expressed its desire to engage the U.S. in
dialogue on the issues that separate us" and specifically requested
evidence of Washington's charge that Sudan was supporting
international terrorism.
"In response to those requests, Ambassador Donald Petterson, on the
instructions of the United States government, recently gave the
government of Sudan specific information about a facility which has
been and, we believe, continues to be used to train non-Sudanese
extremists," he said in a statement.
But Khartoum responded by "rejecting it out of hand," publicising the
information in the press and "using the government-controlled media to
attempt to discredit and insult Ambassador Donald Petterson," he said.
McCurry called this response unhelpful and said it "raises serious
questions about Sudan's willingness to engage in a genuine dialogue on
terrorism."...
McCurry said the United States believes reports of training in Sudan
of militant extremists who commit acts of terrorism in neighbouring
countries are credible and that the training has included the use of
small arms.
Evidence also shows Sudan allows the use of its territory as a
sanctuary for radical groups such as the Abu Nidal organisation,
Hizbollah, Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad, he said...
McCurry added that the United States still hopes Sudan will end its
support for international terrorism and enter into a constructive
dialogue with Washington.
TOURABI SAYS HAMAS ARE FREEDOM FIGHTERS
KHARTOUM - Sudan's most powerful Islamic leader on Thursday praised
Hamas militants, widely believed to be behind the bombing of an
Israeli bus in Tel Aviv, as "freedom fighters".
Hassan al-Tourabi, widely regarded as the power behind Sudan's
military Islamic rule, told reporters: "Hamas are freedom fighters...
these people are fighting for their freedom."
Asked if he considered the Tel Aviv attack an honourable action he
replied: "Yes, as long as...illegitimacy uses force against the
Palestinians."...
SUDAN AND THE WEST: YESTERDAY'S ALLIES, TODAY'S ENEMIES
LONDON - ...Radical Islam has a long history in Sudan. The Moslem
Brothers, led by Dr. Hassan al Turabi, have been an increasingly
powerful force in the country since Turabi returned from completing
his studies (in France) in 1964.
Since the 1989 coup the Moslem Brothers have effectively controlled
the government. Now regarded as fundamentalists and pariahs, they were
in fact for years ideological bedfellows with the West in the Horn of
Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
The reason: the Moslem Brothers were engaged in a holy war against
Communism. Wherever they were active, their first enemy was the
communists. Turabi was eager to promote himself as a liberal
intellectual, a far cry from the Iranian Ayatollahs.
And in addition, until 1980, the Brothers were not a military movement
- their strategy was to gain power by peaceful means, through
elections or through placing their cadres in influential positions.
This was transformed by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The
resistance against the invasion, the ultimate Jihad, attracted radical
Islamic activists from across the Moslem world. They received military
training and arms - and brought the two wings of militant Islam, the
Iranian Shias and the Sunni Moslem Brothers, together in a common
cause for the first time.
Since the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, bands of demobilized former
fighters, known locally as "Afghanis" despite the fact that they
include every nationality, have roamed the Islamic world. Many of them
are in Algeria, Egypt and Sudan. An attempted invasion of Eritrea from
Sudan by a group called "Islamic Jihad" earlier this year included
fighters from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Pakistan and Sudan - all
brought together in Afghanistan.
The irony is that American weaponry and finance made all this
possible. The CIA poured billions of dollars and almost unlimited
weaponry into the Afghan resistance. Having defeated one "great
Satan"--the USSR--the radical Islamic fighters are now taking on the
other--the West--with its own weaponry.
The other side of the coin is that these two arch-enemies know each
other intimately. Every extremist Islamic security officer is known to
his former colleagues in Washington and Paris; their weapons, methods
and intelligence sources are also known in detail.
Whatever deal was struck between France and Sudan, it is unlikely to
be the last time Eastern and Western security agencies collaborate.
** GOVERNMENT POLICIES **
GOVERNMENT HOSTING CONFERENCE ON DIALOGUE
KHARTOUM - Sudan's... government...is to play host next week to an
international inter-faith conference to back a "Khartoum call for
peace" declaration.
Mustafa Osman Ismail, chairman of the preparatory committee disclosed
that 700 Islamic and Christian scholars, former heads of state and
representatives from African, Arab and Islamic countries will attend
the Oct 8-9 meeting...
Ismail said the delegates would back his country's call for religious
dialogue and co-existence between Muslims and Christians, adding that
the Vatican would be represented by a high level delegation...
NATIONAL ISLAMIC FRONT LEADER TURABI CALLS FOR WORLDWIDE ANTI-SECULAR FRONT
Khartoum: Sudanese Islamic leader Hasan Abdullah al-Turabi urged [on]
Monday [10th October] the creation of a broad front of religious
believers to counter the "irreligious" value systems presently
dominating the globe.
Turabi, secretary-general of the Khartoum-based Popular Arab and
Islamic Conference [PAIC], said the major challenge facing believers
worldwide was countering irreligious trends trying to impose
themselves as international law.
Speaking at an inter-religious conference currently in session here,
Turabi said the building of a religious front was based on the unity
of heavenly faiths striving for happiness, security and stability. He
noted that the world was falling victim to a general movement aimed at
distancing humanity from a religious vision of the universe and of
life...
LEARNING BLOCKED UNDER ENFORCED ARABIC, (IPS 4 Oct 94, by Nhial Bol)
KHARTOUM - Two years ago Stephen Wani had high hopes of making a
career in engineering after he graduated from the university of
sciences and technology.
But this year he quit his studies. His colleague Santino Manut Ngot
(20) also dropped out from the University of Juba, based here.
Both have the same problem: they cannot follow lectures in Arabic,
Sudan's official language.
"I neither speak nor write Arabic," admits the 19-year-old Wani.
The problem is not only confined to the two students, but also to most
people from the non-Arabic speaking communities in the south who are
being forced out of further education.
Lt-Gen. Omar Hassan al Bashir's government, backed by Sudan's extreme
National Islamic Front (NIF), has changed the medium of instruction in
Sudan's colleges and 18 universities from English to Arabic.
Under the 1972 peace agreement, which provided limited autonomy for
southern Sudan within a united Sudan, students from the region were
exempted from learning Arabic...
But two years after Bashir came to power in a coup in 1989, he decreed
that all schools in southern Sudan should use Arabic, a language
understood by a few in the region, as the medium of instruction...
Despite the complaints raised by southern students, Sudan's education
and scientific research minister, professor Ibrihim Ahmed Omer
insisted that the Arabicization of Sudanese universities has raised
intellectual standards, "because students struggle to get rid of
foreign languages from their vocabularies."...
CALL UP FOR STUDENTS, (IPS 5 Oct 94, by Nhial Bol)
KHARTOUM - Sudan...Wednesday decreed that its 33,000 university
students will undergo six weeks compulsory military training.
Education and scientific research minister Prof. Ibrahim Ahmed Omer
told the press here that "military training is a must for any student
in Sudan and we want students to have that before thinking of going to
university."
"We in the ministry of education consider that popular defence
training is part of the higher education system and it is a
precondition for university admission," he added...
SUDAN DEFENDS "BRUTAL" RAZING OF SQUATTER CAMPS, (Reuter 21 Oct 94, by Dominic Evans)
KHARTOUM - Sudan, angered by U.S. charges of brutality over the
demolition of a large urban squatter settlement, has defended its
actions and accused Washington of stepping up a "hostile campaign"
against Khartoum.
Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement published in newspapers
on Friday the demolition of settlements in the Khuddeir area of
Omdurman, twin city of the capital Khartoum was "normal, legal and
usually takes place worldwide".
A number of people were reported killed in clashes with troops when
bulldozers first rumbled in last Saturday to start the demolition of
an area where some people say they have been living for over 20 years.
The United States described the incident as "unjustifiable and a clear
abuse of force by the government of Sudan".
"The incident underscores the brutality and callousness of the policy
of forcible resettlement of squatters in the Khartoum area which has
been proceeding for years," it said.
Sudan's foreign ministry "expressed sorrow over the United States'
exploitation of the incident in order to escalate the hostile campaign
against Sudan's civilisational orientation"...
A few determined squatters, sitting under makeshift shelters and
guarding their few possessions, have shunned the government lorries
carrying people off to camps miles outside the city where they have
little chance of finding work.
"I came here with my family in 1976. The government told us we would
be allowed to live in the city but now they have destroyed our home
and tried to force us out to a camp," said 46-year-old Abbas...
The squatters say hundreds of troops cordoned off the area before dawn
last Saturday before the bulldozers moved in. A few dozen men, women
and children gathered to protest the destruction of their houses. When
they started throwing stones at the bulldozers the army opened fire,
they said.
A number of squatters said eight people were killed in the clash. They
said a dozen people, including women, were injured and about 100 were
arrested.
Western diplomats said they heard reports that between four and 16
people died.
"The concerned authorities were only removing illegal houses within an
action preceded by legal measures," the ministry said in the first
public acknowledgement of the incident...
SUDAN PARDONS WOMEN PRISONERS, (Reuter 17 Oct 94)
KHARTOUM - Sudan's chief justice Obeid Haj Ali has ordered the release
of most female prisoners in Omdurman prsion, Sudan's largest jail.
The pardon excluded women convicted of murder.
The official Sudan news agency, SUNA reported that the chief justice
ordered 102 female inmates freed when he visited the jail in Omdurman,
Khartoum's twin city on Sunday...
** AFRICA AND THE ARAB WORLD **
EGYPTIAN NEWSPAPER ARGUES FOR INVADING SUDAN, (Reuter 24 Sep 94)
CAIRO - An Egyptian state newspaper said on Saturday that an Egyptian
invasion of Sudan to overthrow the Khartoum government would be fully
justified.
Ibrahim Saada, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper Akhbar El-Youm,
wrote in a front-page editorial that the Sudanese government had done
much more against Egypt than the Haitian government had ever done
against the United States.
The time had come for Egypt to call Sudanese rulers to account for
their alleged misdeeds, rather than adopting the current policy of
treating them with indulgence, he added.
"The Egyptian people have tolerated from the rulers of Sudan behaviour
which I do not believe can be ignored... It was high time long ago
that they were held responsible for it," he said...
Saada gave a long list of alleged anti-Egyptian acts by the Khartoum
government - expelling an educational mission, stealing the members'
possessions, impounding an Egyptian plane, impounding an Egyptian ship
and holding the passengers hostage, claiming the Halaib triangle on
the border and training Moslem militants for acts of violence in
Egypt.
In an interview published on Thursday, Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak said he still had no plans to take part in a war of words with
the Sudanese government.
Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, in an interview in the government
newspaper al-Ahram on Saturday, said he expected to meet Sudanese
Foreign Minister Hussein Suleiman Abu-Saleh during the U.N. General
Assembly in New York within a few days.
Sudan had wanted Moussa to make a visit to Khartoum but Moussa said
Egypt refused when Sudan tried to block Egyptian membership of the
Preferential Trade Area in East Africa.
Moussa said Egypt's dispute with the Islamist-dominated government in
Khartoum was ideological in origin and he singled out Islamist leader
Hassan al-Turabi, spiritual leader of the Sudanese rulers, for
complicating relations with Egypt...
TWO SUDANESE DIPLOMATS EXPELLED, (SWB 1 Oct 94 [AFP in English, 30 Sep 94])
Cairo: Egypt has ordered the expulsion of two Sudanese diplomats on
charges of threatening state security, the Sudanese embassy here said
[on] Friday [30th September].
The Foreign Ministry told the embassy on Wednesday that adviser
Ibrahim Matar and second secretary Yassa Abd al-Rahman had to leave
the country within five days. Press attache Salah Ibrahim told AFP
that the ministry charged the two diplomats were "threatening the
security of the state".
According to an authoritative Egyptian source, the decision was taken
in retaliation for Sudan's expulsion on Monday of an adviser at
Egypt's embassy in Khartoum, Usamah Yasin. The diplomat was accused of
"activities incompatible with his status" and of having made contact
with opposition leaders, the source said, declining to be identified.
Foreign Minister Amr Musa and his Sudanese counterpart Husayn Abu
Salih met on Tuesday in New York but without making progress on easing
the strains between the two countries, an Egyptian official said...
SUDAN-ERITREA
/HAB/ See "Regional relations" section under Eritrea for
Sudanese-Eritrean agreement on repatriation of refugees to Eritrea.
SUDAN MINISTER EXPECTS IMPROVED TIES WITH ZIMBABWE (Reuter 1 Sep 94)
HARARE - Sudan's foreign minister said on Thursday he hoped ties
between his country and Zimbabwe, at odds over alleged support by
Harare rebels in south Sudan, would improve following his visit to
smooth relations.
Foreign Minister Hussein Suleiman Abu Saleh told reporters before
leaving the southern African country that his government was satisfied
with Harare's denial of allegations that it was arming the rebels
fighting Khartoum's Moslem-led state...
UGANDA PROTESTS TO SUDAN AS RELATIONS WORSEN, (Reuter 7 Oct 94, by Asuman Nakendo)
KAMPALA - Uganda has protested to Sudan against what it says are
hostile activities and a smear campaign by the government in Khartoum,
foreign ministry officials said on Friday...
They said Brigadier Jim Muhwezi, head of domestic intelligence, and
foreign ministry officials delivered a protest note to Sudanese
Ambassador Sinayet Abdel Mohamed Hamed Mohamed this week.
The note complained at what officials said was a propaganda campaign
launched by Khartoum against Uganda featuring old film of former
dictator Idi Amin's troops and indicating Museveni's own National
Resistance Army was preparing to invade Sudan.
It also took issue with remarks made by Sudanese President Omar Hassan
al-Bashir last month about Museveni during talks in Nairobi to end 11
years of civil war in southern Sudan.
On his return to Khartoum after the collapse of the talks, Bashir said
Museveni could not be an independent mediator over the south as he was
biased against the Khartoum government.
Museveni last month called for economic sanctions against Sudan,
blaming the government for the failure of the peace talks with the
rebels mediated by Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea and Ethiopia...
ALGERIA, SUDAN SET TO MEND FENCES IN TRIPOLI, (Reuter 31 Aug 94)
TUNIS - Leaders of Algeria and Sudan held talks in Libya on Wednesday
to try to mend ties strained by Algeria's battles with Islamic
militants.
Sudan's military ruler General Hassan Omar al-Bashir and Algerian head
of State Liamine Zeroual had a close look at links between the two
states, Algeria state-run radio said.
"Sudan is completely backing Algeria security and we hope a continual
contact to clarify any position or information that will emerge in the
future", Omar al-Bashir was quoted by the radio as saying after the
meeting.
Zeroual told Omar al-Bashir his government was angered by Sudanese
declarations and statements, the radio reported from Tripoli without
elaborating.
Algeria's official news agency APS said earlier on Wednesday the two
leaders would discuss "indispensable conditions for improving
relations".
APS quoted Zeroual's diplomatic adviser, Mihoub Mihoubi, as saying the
two leaders would make a frank assessment of ties.
Algeria recalled its ambassador to Khartoum early last year (last
year), accusing Sudanese authorities of backing and harbouring Moslem
militants fighting its army-backed government...
Hassan Tourabi, the presumed mastermind of Sudan's Islamic-dominated
military government, was reported this month as offering to act as a
link with Algeria's Islamic leaders...
SUDANESE FOREIGN MINISTER OPENS EMBASSY IN PRETORIA,(SWB 25 Aug 94 [SAPA news agency, Johannesburg, in
English 23 Aug 94])
Cape Town: Sudanese Foreign Minister Husayn Abu Salih arrived in Cape
Town this week for talks aimed at strengthening relations with South
Africa. Dr Salih, who heads a high-ranking delegation, met Foreign
Minister Alfred Nzo on Monday [22nd August] and is scheduled to
discuss trade, mining and other issues with other ministers and senior
officials...
WARNINGS FROM PAX CHRISTI, (ION 3 Sep 94, p.4)
In a letter to South Africa's deputy defence minister Ronnie Kasrils
dated August 29, the humanitarian organization Pax Christi says it
hopes that "South Africa's new elected government will have more
political courage to adopt a restrictive arms export policy" by
excluding countries which are at war or are guilty of human rights
violations. Although Kasrils has indicated earlier that South Africa
"is and was not involved in the supply of any other military aid and
equipment to the Sudanese" than non-military transport aircraft, Pax
Christi claims that on the contrary, there is "a clear military
involvement of South Africa in Sudan quite recently". Whilst the
organization says it is satisfied with the South African undertaking
to suspend the servicing of aircraft sold to Sudan, Pax Christi
nevertheless urges the South African government "to explicitly join
the European arms embargo against Sudan" and also to "support
initiatives for a UN arms embargo against Sudan".
** HUMAN RIGHTS; WOMEN **
SUDANESE WOMEN'S VOICE FOR PEACE
(Working Group of the Sudanese Women's Voice for Peace, no date)
The voice of the Sudanese women is unheard, lost in the tragedy that
affects the country. Women cry in silence, as mothers for their sons
who kill one another! As widows and the dark future that lies before
them.
Their voices can't reach the world, for there is no proper channel...
Women and children are the majority of the suffering population in the
war affected areas, the permanent settlers of displaced camps; the
hungry and the sick, caught in a never ending battle for survival...
Today the voice of the women in all the marginalized areas of the
Sudan is loud in search for peace. Too much human suffering has moved
us to address the Sudanese issue as equal partners, from different
political, cultural and religious backgrounds, as one body with one
interest and commitment to participate in a peace process by working
together; as we have a right to determine our political future through
the democratic means...
Today we are sad. Sad, because of interfactional fights amongst our
people...
Reconciliation is a moral obligation that needs both the leadership
and civilian population to co-operate, so as to translate our cause
into a living reality. Our real cry for you is to stop building walls
that isolate people from each other, let us concentrate on building
bridges. Bridges of peace and reconciliation.
As mothers of the future Sudan, we urge you to bury the past, come
together, allow dialogue to flow. We are determined to work with each
other so as to break the silence and fight for a common cause. We come
together for the cause of the people. For justice and peace. You are
obliged to lead and defend...
We want to take care of the aged, the disabled, the orphans and the
thousands of abandoned children wandering alone, frightened and
forgotten in the hinterland. To build in them the hope of going back
home, where each and every one feels free and dignified...
AI REPORT, (AI Sep 94, AI index: AFR 54/31/94), Summary
The civil war between the Sudan government and both factions of the
armed opposition Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which is
mainly being fought in the south and adjacent parts of the country,
continues to cause immense human suffering. The violation of basic
human rights is at the heart of the conflict. Ending the war - with
full human rights safeguards built into the peace agreement - is a
vital step towards reducing gross human rights violations in the
country.
The serious human rights situation in the war zones is clearly
recognized internationally. However, as pressure on the warring
parties for peace is maintained, Amnesty International again
underlines that human rights are also violated in Sudan in places far
from the fighting for reasons largely unconnected with the war.
Political opposition in northern Sudan remains banned and still leads
to arrests and, often, torture...
/HAB/ For the full report see "Sudan: Outside the war zones: secret
detention and torture in northern Sudan" (AI Index: AFR 54/31/94),
issued by Amnesty International in September 1994.
** HUMANITARIAN ISSUES **
LAND MINES THREATEN RELIEF, (SU 30 Sep 94, p.1 [World Disasters Report, International Federation
of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies 94])
Between 500,000 and two million land mines have been laid in Sudan,
mostly in the South, says World Disasters Report. 'Large areas around
the principal towns, Juba, Wau, Bor, Torit and Kapoeta, have been
mined by both sides [in the civil war], and mines continue to be laid
at a rapid rate.' Access to wells and arable land has also reportedly
been mined, as well as major roads, 'severely hampering the transport
of relief food and supplies to the people of the area and, in effect,
threatening them with starvation... While the conflict continues,
de-mining is impractical.'
ICRS runs orthopaedic centres in Khartoum, established in 1990, and
Kassala, established in 1984 [for amputees]. There is a small
orthopaedic workshop attached to ICRC's surgical hospital in Kenya at
Lokichokio on the Sudanese border, which serves injured people from
southern Sudan.
WATER IN NORTHERN STATE RISES 1.5 METRES ABOVE 1988 FLOOD LEVEL.(SWB 20 Sep 94 [RSR in Arabic, 8 Sep
94])
The civil aviation corporation has set up an air bridge between
Khartoum and Dongola to transport sackcloth and supplies to counter
the flood threat there. More than 1m canvas sacks have been
transported in the last two days. Police Maj-Gen Ba Bikr Ibrahim,
director of the civil defence department, said the water level in
Northern State, particularly in the Dongola area, had risen by an
average of 1.5 metres above the 1988 flood level. He added that the
situation was serious and that the flood would peak this week and
continue for another week.
KALA-AZAR AND DEPOPULATION, (SU 30 Sep 94 [Africa Health Marketletter Sep 94])
'The various agencies operating under the umbrella of the UN Operation
Lifeline Sudan complain that world attention has been diverted by the
unfolding tragedy in Rwanda, and that they have only thirty per cent
of the airlift capacity needed to prevent widespread famine,' reports
Africa Health Marketletter. In Upper Nile, it says, an epidemic of
kala-azar (leishmaniasis) has claimed some 200,000 victims. A doctor
with MSF (Medecins sans Frontieres) in Duar explains that 50-60 per
cent of the local population has died for lack of treatment: "The
government soldiers have no work to do here. The kala-azar epidemic is
doing their work for them."...
SOUTH SUDAN - HOW SHOULD LOCAL NGOS BE DEVELOPING?,(NNS August 94)
As funding and interest in capacity building grow among bilateral and
Northern NGO donors, there is an expanding debate about how best to
support and assist fledgeling indigenous organisations.
While they have advantages over their international counterparts, "we
can stay where international NGOs can't" says James Wole, Programme
Co-ordinator of the recently founded Community Development
Association, they also face sever limitations "we only know South
Sudan, we have no experience and few skills". They also lack the basic
administrative necessities for fundraising and project preparation.
For this reason the capacity building section in Operation Lifeline
Sudan is working on a plan to provide office space and phone lines for
a group of six Southern Sudanese NGOs. Wole's group will benefit from
the planned support and he suggests that an expatriate should also be
included in the assistance plan "to get us established".
But others differ. Achol Mariol Deng of Cush, an organisation which
already has its own office and facilities, and which will therefore
not benefit from the project, is sceptical of its long term impact. He
stresses that management is the problem for new groups and "if you
spoil NGOs early in the process it could have a negative impact at the
end of the day" - an opinion which he is sharing with OLS.
The co-ordinator of the OLS capacity building project, Iain Levine, is
conscious of the need to ensure that responsibility is firmly in the
hands of the NGO leaders - he is at present chair of the monthly joint
meeting of Southern Sudanese groups, a position which he is keen to
hand over to a Sudanese from among them.
Similarly the project reflects an awareness that indigenous NGOs need
to develop away from the 'public service contractor' model towards
community development and participation, "which will doubtless be a
long process" Levine says. So far most project proposals are large and
focus on the supply of material inputs and assessments need to place
more emphasis upon participation.
But there are signs that the Southern Sudanese NGOs understand their
potential to impact in other areas, Wole again: "unless there is a
civil society they (military groups) will not take the ordinary
citizen seriously, and that (civil society) won't happen unless we are
there"...
** ECONOMIC NEWS **
ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK FUNDS DAM PROJECT, (MEED 29 Aug 94)
The Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $8.7m
loan to rehabilitate the lower sluice gates of the Roseires dam on the
Blue Nile south of Khartoum. The dam provides flood protection and
water to irrigate 1.3m hectares of land as well as supplying the
country with about half of its electricity needs. The IDB loan will
cover about 85% of the project cost. The scheme, which is expected to
take six years to complete, is being carried out by the Irrigation and
Water Resources Ministry.
IMF DELAYS EXPULSION DEBATE ON SUDAN UNTIL JANUARY, (Reuter 21 Sep 94)
WASHINGTON - The International Monetary Fund executive board has
delayed consideration on the expulsion of indebted Sudan until the
middle of January, monetary sources said Wednesday.
The sources said the IMF, in a number of meetings with Sudanese
officials, believed that the country was committed to restoring normal
relations with the institution and had agreed to some "token"
repayments on its loans...
Sudan, which is about $1.7 billion in arrears on payments to the
international lending institution, could actually have been removed
from the IMF, although such an action would require a vote of the
other member-countries...
AGRICULTURE MINISTER PREDICTS "BUMPER" HARVEST,(SWB 20 Sep 94 [RSR in Arabic, 11 Sep 94]) The minister of agriculture said on 10th September at a meeting of the higher
harvest committee that the country had been blessed with heavy rains. He said
reports from the areas of production confirmed that the conditions and growth
rate of the crops were very reassuring and "bumper" harvests were expected.
(SWB 6 Sep 94 [VOEE in English, 27 Aug 94])
(Jiji Press via RBB 30 Sep 94)
Torrential rains over recent days in northern Welo, Wag Humera and
Mekit [phonetic] districts [in northern Ethiopia] have killed 84
people while floods have also swept away many animals. In Wag Humera,
the floods swept away 5,708 animals, destroyed 119 houses and 742
hectares of grain and left 3,240 people homeless, according to a
report by the district's disaster avoidance and preparations
committee...
ADDIS ABABA - Two people were killed and over 1,000 houses were
destroyed by torrential rain in the Ethiopian capital on Friday, Addis
Ababa radio said on Saturday.
(Reuter 22 Aug 94)
(ION 27 Aug 94, p.3)
(EH 2 Sep 94, p. 2)
During his recent visit to the United States, President Meles Zenawi
gave interviews to two US television networks and answered questions
put to him on a broad range of issues... Following is the text of the
interview with Fox Morning News as transcribed by the Ethiopian
Television:
(EH 9 Sep 94, p.1 [ENA])
ADDIS ABABA--The Administration for Refugees and Returnees Affairs
(ARRA) said Wednesday Ethiopia is currently hosting 166,000 Somali
refugees in seven camps in the eastern part of the country.
(SWB 6 Oct 94 [VOEE in English, 4 Oct 94])
About 513 Ethiopians, who fled their country to neighbouring Jibuti
for fear of war and starvation, have been repatriated. Ato [Mr] Amin
[word indistinct], resident chief of the Administration of Refugees
and Returnees'Affairs [ARRA], said that [words indistinct] along with
380 dependants arrived in Dire Dawa yesterday by train. The
repatriation was coordinated by ARRA and the UNHCR. Ato Amin said each
repatriate would be provided with transportation costs and food
rations for two months. He said that about 10,000 more are ready to be
repatriated from Jibuti.
(NNS Aug 94)
International Alert and the Ad Hoc Peace Committee have organised a
conference entitled "The Challenge for Peace Making in Africa" which
will take place from 12 - 15 September 1994 at the Economic Commission
for Africa. The meeting follows the May Cairo consultation to promote
and enhance the OAU mechanism for conflict prevention, management and
resolution and complements the 1995 consultative meeting to be
organised by Accord South Africa with the Africa Leadership Forum...
(EH 13 Sep 94, p.1 [ENA])
ADDIS ABABA--Information Minister Dr. Negasso Gidada said yesterday
that Africa's socio-economic decline would continue unabated if it
fails to focus on broadly conceived preventive measures.
(LWI 16/94, p. 8 [APS/LWI 25 Aug 94])
ADDIS ABABA--The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) has
resolved to hasten the participation of women in church and society by
involving them in the church's decision-making bodies, the All Africa
Press Service (APS) reported in August...
ACRONYMS:
SACB - Somalia Aid Coordination Body
SAMO - Somali African Muki Organisation
SDA - Somali Democratic Alliance
SDM - Somali Democratic Movement
SLA - Somali Liberation Army
SNA - Somali National Alliance
SNDU - Somali National Democratic Union
SNF - Somali National Front
SNM - Somali National Movement
SNU - Somali National Union
SORRA - Somali Relief and Rehabilitation Agency
SPM - Somali Patriotic Movement
SSA - Somali Salvation Alliance
SSDF - Somali Salvation Democratic Front
SSNM - Southern Somali National Movement
USC - United Somali Congress
USF - United Somali Front
USP - United Somali Party
(UNIC 26 Sep 94 [UN document S/1994/1068, 17 Sep 94]); The Somalia Task Force Oct 94
(UNIC 18 Oct 94 [UN document S/1994/1166 14 Oct 94])
(UNIC 18 Oct 94 [UN document S/1994/1166 14 Oct 94])
(GN 30 Aug 94 [WP, by Thomas Lippman])
(Letter to the Washington Post 30 Aug 94, by Ismat Kittani)
(The Economist via RBB 24 Sep 94)
(IPS 27 Aug 94, by Horace Awori)
(Reuter 6 Sep 94)
(UNIC 10 Oct 94 [UN document DH/1746 7 Oct 94])
(Reuter 21 Aug 94)
(SWB 23 Sep 94 [KBC radio, Nairobi, in English 21 Sep 94])
The United Nations Security Council and the international community
will not tolerate any further delays in moving forward the political
process in Somalia. The UN undersecretary for peacekeeping operations,
Mr Koffi Annan, said in Nairobi.
(SWB 5 Oct 94 [RMV in Somali, 3 Oct 94])
Excerpts from report broadcast by pro-Muhammad Farah Aydid radio
(Reuter 15 Oct 94)
(DT 17 Oct 94, by Scott Peterson)
MOGADISHU--Rival Somali warlords are working to extract the maximum
cash from the United Nations efforts to reconcile them, as a deadline
looms threatening UN withdrawal unless there is progress on peace
talks...
(ION 15 Oct 94, p.2)
Lisane Yohannes, the permanent representative in Mogadiscio since 1992
of the Inter-African Committee of Reconciliation (the five-nation body
presided by Ethiopia which has been charged by the Organisation of
African Unity with responsibility for the Somali dossier) is reported
to have had difficulties in paying is day-to-day bills in the Somali
capital since June, apparently as a result of UNOSOM 2 ceasing to pay
his rent costs since then. A Tigray civil servant who has been chef de
cabinet of Ethiopian foreign minister Mesfin Seyoum since the EPRDF
came to power in Addis Ababa in 1991, Yohannes is a personal friend of
general Mohammed Farah Aideed, the head of Somali National Alliance
(SNA). The official also thinks highly of the controversial president
of Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF, Mejertein), colonel
Abdulahi Yussuf Ahmed. In private, Lisane Yohannes does not hesitate
to state that "sooner or later, Aideed will finish up being right",
and says the leader of the Hawiye-Abgal clan north of Mogadiscio,
Mohamed Ali Mahdi, who is Aideed's principal rival, has been "a puppet
of the Darod" (Somalia's dominant clan under the former regime).
Yohannes refers to the Group of Twelve (the alliance of twelve
factions who are hostile to Aideed and group themselves around Ali
Mahdi) as "a bad mess" and has always avoided discussions with this
group as a whole, although he has talked to representatives of its
several factions. After having managed to influence the stands of both
the Addis Ababa government and UNOSOM 2 on the Somali dossier, Lisane
Yohannes is today the "most listened-to counsellor" of the UN
representative in Somalia, Ghana's Victor Gbeho.
(Reuter 25 Sep 94)
MOGADISHU - Faction fighting in Somalia at the weekend killed four
people and wounded seven, a United Nations spokesman in Mogadishu said
on Sunday.
(IPS 31 Aug 94)
UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Wednesday condemned the attack on an Indian-run field hospital in the
Somali town of Baidoa, in which three doctors were killed.
(Reuter 1 Sep 94)
(CSM 2-8 Sep 94, p.20, by Robert M. Press)
(SWB 4 Oct 94 [AFP in English, 1 Oct 94])
(Reuter 4 Sep 94)
(NNS Aug 94)
(DHA Information Report-Kenya 1-31 Aug 94)
(ION 27 Aug 94, p.5)
(SWB 23 Aug 94 [KTN TV, Nairobi, in English 18 Aug 94])
(SWB 24 Aug 94 [AFP in English 22 Aug 94])
(Somalia@vita.org Sep 94 [Letter 25 Sep 94])
(SWB 3 Sep 94 [RH in Somali, 27 Aug 94])
(SWB 18 Oct 94 [AFP in English, 16 Oct 94])
(SWB 15 Sep 94 [RH in Somali, 30 Aug 94])
(SWB 1 Sep 94 [MENA news agency, Cairo, in Arabic 30 Aug 94])
(SWB 1 Oct 94 [RH in Somali 27 Sep 94])
ACRONYMS:
DUP - Democratic Unionist Party
IGADD - Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development
NDA - National Democratic Alliance
NIF - National Islamic Front
NSCC - New Sudan Council of Churches
NUP - Nationalist Unionist Party
PDF - Popular Defence Forces
PRMSS - Patriotic Resistance Movement of South Sudan
RASS - Relief Association for Southern Sudan
RCC - Revolutionary Command Council
RCCNS - RCC of National Salvation
SCC - Sudan Council of Churches
SEOC - Sudan Emergency Operations Consortium
SPLA - Sudan People's Liberation Army
SPLM - Sudan People's Liberation Movement
(Reuter 11 Sep 94, by Jonathan Clayton)
(ION 24 Sep 94, p.3)
(Reuter 20 Sep 94)
(SPLM/SPLA Update No.34, Vol.III/94, p.4)
(SDG Oct 94, p.1, by Bona Malwal)
(SWB 1 Oct 94 [AFP in English, 29 Sep 94])
(SWB 29 Sep 94 [RNU in Arabic, 27 Sep 94])
(SWB 26 Sep 94 [Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1,Tehran, in Persian 25 Sep 94])
(ION 1 Oct 94, p.2)
(IPS 29 Sep 94, by Horace Awori)
(Southern Sudanese Community in America 23 Sep 94)
(NSCC 15 Sep 94, by Carolyn Schrock)
(Observer via RBB 21 Aug 94, by David Orr)
(Reuter 15 Sep 94)
(Reuter 20 Oct 94)
(IPS Aug 94, by Alex De Waal)
(IPS 29 Sep 94, by Nhial Bol)
(SWB 13 Oct 94 [AFP in English, 10 Oct 94])
Editorial report